Yellow Brick Road
by Naruzeldamaster
Summary: Tobi is a stoic who wants desperately to not be stoic, Naya is a timid genetics expert with a beast within, Chrome is an idiot motivated by her libido, and Tenebres is a Grimm Faunus too precious to corrupt. If these four sound interesting, their tale is quite an adventure, and there's also a sociopathic AI involved as well. Hope you enjoy this sort of 'fix it' journey as I do.
1. Arrival

Prologue: Tin Man VS Tin Can

Amber and her mentor, Qrow, had been surveying Emerald Forest for a while now. If it was a normal recon mission, any greenhorn hunter or huntress could manage it alone. While she knew the forest was untamed, this was borderline silly; they had found and disposed several Grimm nests. In three days, she had faced heards of Grimboar, Baeowolf, and even a Grimbear. The Grimm were dangerous to civilians without a semblance, which was why Hunter academies exist at all. Ozpin, the head of Beacon had given her a full year of training, which prepared her for these beasts just fine.

She was not prepared to become the fall maiden, maiden training was fresh hell in comparison to the academy training. Manipulating wind came almost naturally, complimenting her semblance nicely. Other elements of the season such as lightning, however, not so much. Qrow's luck nearly got him struck not once but twice, this tiring mission was just the break she needed. She was confident enough to sense and move the molten rock beneath her feet to the surface in a pinch but it took time to do.

Amber wiped sweat from her brow. "Qrow, it's before noon of day three and I've already barely slain a Grimbear. I know this 'recon' is important but isn't this a bit...much? Something tells me the Grimm aren't the only thing we're here for." She paused to give him a steely glare. "Speaking of _before_ noon, are you already blitzed? Are you ever _not_ blitzed?" Judging from the smell of his breath the term sober wasn't in his dictionary, which dashed her hopes of him being some great hero quickly.

"I don't know the meaning of the word 'sober' sides keeps my shit luck in check," Qrow replied honestly before sipping from his flask. "Bonus points for that instinct though, the boring version is cause old Oz said so. The more fun version is Ironwood put up a request to survey the area for anything out of place a week a go, and Grimm aren't out of place." He explained with a serious tone after emptying the flask.

Amber stared blankly at her mentor when her theory was confirmed outright. "So Ozpin's words of wisdom over the preimptive caution of the Atlus military's top brass? What made you change your mind?" She was a little bit confused as to why a personal request from the military was ignored but all Ozpin needed to do was ask nicely.

"I won't mince words, deep down Oz is a good man. But see...the deep down part is what bothers most people, especially Ironwood. Oz might mean well, but his obsessions can get a little...dodgy at times. Hold up a sec kid," Qrow stopped a moment and glanced off into the distance, letting out an annoyed sigh.

Amber had herd those howls before, though not usually with that many tones. A large pack of Beowolf, their movements were scattered too. It meant that something had rattled them and she needed to prepare for whatever they were running from. If it was anything bigger than a Grimbear then Qrow might actually bother to chip in this time instead of being lazy. Sadly Qrow had put an arm in front of her, breaking her battle stance. Her blood stopped boiling when she noticed that the Grimm were outright ignoring them.

"But a bigger Grimm is on the way, we should be ready for anything!" She froze as the sun was blocked by a large crow shaped shadow. She had to swallow lightly since the Nevermore in the books didn't look quite that large.

Qrow crossed his arms. "Tell me oh wisened maiden. How do you know it's a 'bigger' Grimm?" He figured the quotes weren't needed, he was just being sassy.

"Uh, it scared off a Nevermore? And a whole pack of Beowolf? And one Ursa." Amber knew the Ursas and Nevermores were some of the larger Grimm out there, whatever spooked that had to be bigger. The Ursa were incredibly territorial too, it must've really hated what appeared down the way.

"Ah.." Qrow raised a hand, then stepped to his left as the Ursa barreled past them, clearly spooked by something. "That's a good point, actually. Still, there's only a few things Grimm are afraid of. Care to tell me what those things could be?" He finished with his hand on his chin, it was kind of puzzling that the enlarged bears could be spooked by something.

"I actually paid attention to Port's lecture this time and Oobleck's. They're either running from a stronger Grimm, a dangerous Hunter or Huntress, or something worse." Amber froze solid when she sensed something strong approaching, it wasn't completely alive, and it wasn't a Grimm either. "Clearly it's something in the 'worse' category. I would've sensed other humans and bigger Grimm aren't inhabiting this region that we know of. And whatever it was has an aura, that just flared up, in that direction." Amber walked past Qrow as the sensation waned, it certainly felt like an aura flare, but it didn't feel entirely human.

Tracking the prints the Grimm left, the pair eventually made their way to a small, unnatural clearing in the deepest part of the woods. In front of them was a large yet shallow impact crater caused by an unusual sight. It was a bulk shipping crate the size of a small house, manufactured with dated techniques. It's exterior was covered in rust and vines, which was an oddity since they had covered this area with recon yesterday. If it was cloaked they would have detected it, and speaking of detection several kinds of scanners went off around the paremiter. The scanners traced Qrow and Amber's location before shutting off, and Qrow cautiously knocked on what would be the front of the container.

"Hello *unknown guest*. It is now *time of day here*. Unfortunately the next Dragoon presentation is not schedualed for another twenty four hours. Otherwise security clearance alpha is required for entry. Goodbye." It was rather polite for a security system, likely a prerecorded message considering the computer goofed and actually said those two things instead of the logical response.

Qrow examined the crate further and sighed. "Think you could get it open?" He was pretty sure Oz wanted what was inside, the two questions being what and why.

"Is that all I am to you, a human blowtorch? Fine, but don't whine to me when your 'shit luck' gets us both screwed over." Amber stated with a sigh as she steeled herself to perform the task.

The young maiden took a few steps back from the crate and prepared to use her semblance. She took the least stresful option, turning the locking mechanism into hot magma with heat from her bare hands. What was inside was both incredible, and obscenely outdated, it was some kind of military research lab. Monitors and consoles galore each keeping track of different things, geological data, weather patterns, if you could name it there was probably a console measuring it. The confusing part was that they appeared to be damaged by time, yet they looked moderately functional. Heck, some of the medical equipment in the back was still active and measuring vitals for a patient.

Amber walked around the large table in the center of the lab. "I know a puma Faunus who'd have a field day in here, or orgasm, whichever comes first. What do you think those large cylinder chambers in the back are for? They don't look like anything I've seen." She couldn't think of anything they would be used for, considering both of them had different equipment for monitoring their contents.

"I'm no military or technology buff," Qrow walked up to one of the containers and wiped some dust off of it. "The one on the left's probably some medical thing way beyond what we have now judging from the monitors. One on the right doesn't have any medical equipment. Storage maybe?" He finished as he walked over to one of the consoles that had wires from both containers linked to it.

"Qrow, if this lab goes kaboom I'm haunting your niece for the rest of her life," Amber stated sarcastically. Qrow was insufferable sometimes, especially when he had no idea what buttons sent signals to what device.

"Go ahead, my niece loves a great ghost story, I'm sure she'd find it entertaining. Ah here we go, looks like this console activates er...whatever those things are." As much as he wanted to pretend he knew what he was talking about, the bitter truth was that he was taking a childish shot in the dark.

The speaker system and lights kicked on. "Hello. Welcome to the Dragoon unit presentation program, where we will bring you tomorrows military today." The voice was female, and far more human than the digital voice from the alarm system.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Amber asked with frustration as she crossed her arms. It was hopless to stop what he started, as yet more monitors sprang to life and the table produced a hologram of a fox Faunus researcher.

"The Dragoon is a state-of-the-art self updating nanotech security defense system. It is capable of producing, repairing, and upgrading it's own exoskeleton as it recieves more information." The fox Faunus gestured toward several holographic displays. "Its advanced artificial intelligence systems can assess problems, find logical solutions and resupply itself with amunition should it run out." The monitors displayed the Dragoon units exoskeleton interacting with soldiers, socializing, training, and even taking heavy fire for them.

"I ah, pressed the big green button that said begin presentation?" Qrow replied as he scratched the back of his neck, jumping a bit when the generators kicked on at full force.

"The Dragoon is designed to relentlessly persue its mission to completion. It will evolve its logistics and adapt its combat chassy to accomidate for nearly any situation it could encounter." The next display showed Dragoon fully functional in various climate extremes. Even being underwater didn't hinder it's combat potential much.

"Idiot...that could have been a trap! At least we know one thing, the aura I felt earlier today is definitely the person in this recovery pod. It was brief but it was this huge flare, that must've been what startled the Grimm." Amber walked over to that pod as the lights inside flickered on. "And well, this whole lab appearing in their nesting area without warning," She finished with a sigh of relief, despite the damaged state of the recovery equipment the boy seemed to be in perfect health. The boy was slim and toned, dressed in a technition's uniform and had the moppiest mop top to have ever mopped. Other than a slight hand twitch when she knocked on the glass, he seemed to be sleeping soundly.

Qrow stretched out a little. "So our sleeping prince's aura was strong enough for you to feel it from back when we first ran into the Grimm? What do ya suppose caused the aura to flare, blondie here doesn't look all that powerful from where I'm standing." Qrow was admitedly curious about that part, aura can be sensed from a distance. However it was pretty rare for it to be detectable from that far away without some insane levels of energy or a really strong Semblance.

"Most importantly, Dragoon is the first machine of its time capable of producing its own aura. In an emergency it can even siphon aura energy from living things to protect itself from major damage. The resulting aura flare can be felt by even those who don't have Semblances. This technique is a double-edged sword however, as it can potentially fry its logic circuits." The fox Faunus glanced directly at Qrow and then to Amber. "Does that answer your question?" She stated with her arms crossed, implying she was actually responding to them. "Intruders detected. Activating lab defense protocol." And the chamber that contained the Dragoon kicked on and lit up.

Amber backed away from the two chambers. "Uh, are you in there? Wake up!" She was directing her attention toward the boy, hoping she could just wake him up normally.

"Directive. Evaluate and/or eliminate detected threat. Both targets appear to be of high combat potential. More caution should be applied combatting the drunkard, yet the teen seems to possess a much stronger aura. Preparing to engage." The voice was feminine, though not quite as human or charming as the woman in the hologram, it came from the machine that was about to be unleashed.

"Hey! I might be completely blitzed right now, but drunkard is where I put my foot down." Qrow paused and pretended to stumble drunkenly. "Sides, we can't fight in here, it's pretty dangerous right Ms. Fall?" He nudged her in the waist before making his way over to the console on the other side of the lab connected to the medical unit.

"Deliberating. Deliberating. Query. Why is it illogical to engage in fisticuffs in this location?" Dragoon questioned with moderate curiosity in its tone as it stepped out of its storage container.

Amber glared at Qrow, doubting his ability to mess with computers. "Because...er...you wouldn't want all this technology to go to waste would you? Some friends of ours are really curious about it. Why don't we duke it out in a much larger clearing, it'll be fun, promise!" Qrow seemed to be activating some kind of small device, and it looked like he'd activated a function on the medical unit. He had also picked up a note and began reading it with his open hand.

"Friends? Fun? Deliberating. Primary directive; assert combat superiority to intruders and subdue them in a logical location by finding or creating one. Secondary directive; find out what friends and fun are." Dragoon then bolted out of the lab, activated thrusters on its feet and flew off before Amber had time to react.

Qrow wiped his brow. "Phew, good thing I noticed this note. Seems our sleeping prince was planning ahead for something like this. Instructions on how to awaken a patient in whatever this medical dohicky is, and a tracker for our walking death machine." He was more thankful for the fact that the tracker still functioned, though any help from the kid might not be bad either.

"You and your stupid luck, or maybe he really was planning ahead." Amber walked over to the chamber to give him a once over. "Weird, feels like...I know his aura from somewhere, but we've definitely never met. Pretty sure I'd recognize that mop top!" She thought aloud quietly as she headed over to the entrance to the lab, urging Qrow to follow. "Hey! Wake up soon okay!" She jokingly shouted at the likely still unconcious patient in the medical unit. He would hopefully be awake shortly assumming Qrow followed the instructions properly.

Thinking more about it, the blonde hair was oddly familiar too. He seemed roughly her age, maybe a little older and was decently fit for his somewhat small frame. She pushed the sleeping medical patient to the back of her mind as she and Qrow left the lab. A small part of her wanted to end this without seriously damaging Dragoon or the lab, especially with her Faunus friend being such a technophile.

When the pair finally caught up to Dragoon, they found another clearing around twice the size of the one they started in. Trees looked like they had been cut down to make said clearing, and at the moment Dragoon was fending off what remained of the heard of Baeowolves from earlier. It was using hand to hand and powerful laser blasts from its palms to nearly one shot the Grimm. That feat alone was kind of silly, but the fact that it had defeated such a large number in one go made her a bit nervous.

"That was fantastic, I don't think I could have done that lot in any better myself!" Amber had to force a cheerful smile, she had no idea what this thing could do.

"Error, error, this unit has only been performing its primary function; what is the function of this motion?" The Dragoon unit stated as it emulated the clapping motion on its own.

"I hate to agree with bolt-brain here but what exactly are you doing?" He was almost as confused about Amber's improv as the machine was.

Amber nudged Qrow in the ribs with her elbow. "It's called praise, isn't that right Qrow?" She stated nudging him again hoping he'd take the hint.

"Oh of course-praising, that's exactly what you earned for fighting off wild beasts that surely would have bitten our heads off. At least in that number anyway, really impressive." Qrow was certain the concept of praise and reward was likely completely lost to the machine.

"I...see. So this is a praise protocol. A complicated body language. But nothing this unit cannot handle. Query, what if this unit has found another use for this maneuver?" The Dragoon unit tilted its head slightly, it was still recharging its power source from fighting those beasts.

"Uh, whatever floats your boat and doesn't end with being blasted by laser-ow!" Qrow flinched when Amber bonked him with her staff, she clearly took after her mother.

"Your poor attempt at stalling is truly impressive. Afirmitave it allowed this unit time to fully recharge its solar energy unit undetected. You. Deserve. Praise." Dragoon began clapping its hands while laughing at them mockingly.

Amber's eye twitched slightly at the sarcasm in the machines tone. "That's impressive, no, really it is; and I know a friend of ours who'd be just as impressed. Would you please come with us peacefully so you can show him your skill?" She asked with a bright smile on her face, though it was clearly forced.

"Negative. Dragoon unit's only commander is Dr. Richter, his superior general or Richter's relatives. Acting against both primary directives and logic protocols is illogical. Prepare to...get wrecked?" Dragoon stated bluntly as it entered a fighting stance.

"Grr, but didn't you just write your own directives a few minutes ago?" Amber mumbled to herself in frustration, she could have sworn that's what it had done adding that secondary directive.

The Dragoon tilted its head. "Negative? Adding a secondary directive that does not conflict the primary directive does not invalidate the primary directive. The logic of your statement is flawed." It wasn't sure if it was meant to hear that statement, but it had a strange urge to reply to it anyway.

"B-but making a secondary directive something personal? Machines don't have 'personal' motives, makes no sense!" Amber stomped her foot as she said it, causing a tiny fissure to form in the ground in front of her. "Oops...temper fall temper," She forgotten just how strong the maiden training had made her on a physical level.

Qrow raised a brow, this was obviously not going to end well at this rate. "Amber, top marks for trying but it's clear that this tin can with an attitude isn't coming peacefully. Which is good cause I was getting bored." He stated with a serious look on his face for once, preparing for battle as well. "Unfortunately this is Amber's training mission, so you'll have to settle things in her court first." He knew he was going to get a lecture from Ozpin later, but he wanted to see what the maiden could do.

Amber wasn't exactly hoping Qrow was going to say that, he was one of the big name hunters on the continent after all. But she had a feeling it would be this way, it would be easier to report how a potential threat fights if they had an observer. She was a bit worn from yesterday still, so she decided to use her staff to focus. Since this was such a nice clearing she could really cut loose, with just a touch of self-control this time she managed to bring forth a strong breeze. Next came the dark skies of a summer rain, she was focusing explicitly shorting the machine out before it could do anything too crazy.

"Caution advised. Weather Anomoly detected. Scanning. Source of anomoly found. Correcting anomoly by force." Dragoon unit stated as it prepared to fire its hand laser.

"Try correcting this, have a little heat lightning!" Amber thrust her staff to the ground, pouring her energy into the air around her. "Any second...big old bolt of lightning, yup!" She tapped the staff on the ground a second time.

Qrow smiled as thunder did in fact roll shortly afterward. "Don't worry, lightning can strike several miles away from a thunderhead," He paused as the thunder rolled again in the same amount of time. "Well at least we both know lightning never strikes the same place twice right?" He was not personally looking forward to nearly getting struck by lightning again.

"Well, third times the charm?" Sadly the Dragoon had fired its hand laser at her staff, splitting it in two horazontaly. "My staff! Ok then, time for plan B." She took a different stance as she spoke, placing her foot on the tiny fissure. As she focused, the fisure grew in size, and lava slowly rose to the surface. She was planning on using that lava to create a wall of flame from the fisure which was now directly underneath the bot.

Qrow stared blankly at the pillar of flames that erupted from the ground."Uh Amber, I don't think the flame pillar trick is going to work on this one." Qrow was stepping backward, preparing to step in on the fight if help was needed.

"Please...it's just a god knows how old robot. Pretty sure steel back then wasn't as advanced...oh, well that sucks." She stood there with her mouth agape, the robot seemed to be functioning completely in the small sea of flames she'd wrapped it in. The flames fizzled out, almost as if they were reacting to the dejection she was feeling.

"How relaxing. Such a spa technique deserves more praise. My oil temperature nearly reached a boiling point. Sadly Dragoon units internal coolant system solved that problem." The Dragoon stated plainly as it was clapping its hands in amusement. "Query. How does an organic life form perform such a technique?" Its motors buzzed a bit as it tilted its head, now greatly curious about this strange power.

"Something you can't possibly understand. I used my Semblance, a literal manifestation of the 'self' or what we call personality. But you're just a program, so no adapting clever battle tactics from powerful hunters and huntresses okay?" Amber wasn't betting on her suggestion working, but it was worth a try.

Amber had just said it herself, the thing was a program so it couldn't be reasoned with right? Why then was she even attempting to negotiate with a program in the first place? Well, it had an aura, and typically having an aura meant you had a soul or something like it. A faulty logic program couldn't be argued with, but she could argue with the theoretical human nature of the machine. Ok, so it was a long shot, but it was a shot worth taking if they could bring Dragoon in undamaged and fully aware.

"Intriguing. A Semblance could prove useful in combat. Query. In theory, say Dragoon unit attained this sense of 'self' and a 'personality' protocol. Would it not be possible to attain a Semblance?" Dragoon's primary function was to evolve as it fought, a Semblance from it's understanding could always evolve and get better.

"Ah it doesn't quite work that way? Some people have aura and 'self' but can't use their Semblance, it's a genetic thing which uh...you kinda don't have. But I won't stop you from trying." Qrow was sure this plan was going to royally backfire, but he did put Amber in charge of the fight.

The Dragoon took a step back in surprise. "Deliberating. Deliberating. Now writing 'self' protocol." The Dragoon crossed its arms and tapped its foot, imitating the human behavior of thinking. "This unit...no I am Dragoon. I am the perfect evolutionary self defense system, gender protocol is female. Negotiation sequence engaged. Query...no...question, who are you? It is rude to engage in combat without introducing one's 'self'. Secondary question, what is your purpose?" As she finished her statement, her voicebox generated slightly less electronic noise.

"Yes!" Talk about lucky. "I mean...I'm Amber, a maiden in training and also a huntress in training...it's complicated. This 'superior' if you could call him that is Qrow, he's no commander though. We were asked by a Leutinenat to bring you in, preferibly without conflict, pretty please? We can negotiate terms if you want!" Just because they had gotten through to her didn't mean they were out of the woods yet.

Qrow raised a brow. "You mean we aren't telling Oz?" He wondered about the sudden change of plan, it wasn't like her to change her mind mid mission like this.

"We're telling James _because_ Oz wants to know. Also I think I'm gonna need some backup on this one." She couldn't help but wonder if it was Dragoon that Ozpin was after to begin with. Though personal experience with the man said she was probably thinking too much.

"Now you're catching on, looks like we're going to have to use some Hunter-style negotiation bolt brain," Qrow replied with amusement in his tone, he had been itching for a fight today too.

"Affirmative. Engaging close range negotiation mode with the unit known as Amber. After which, the drunk will be made sober." Dragoon started its charge toward its opponent as it spoke, Dragoon preferred negotiation honestly, but orders were orders. Intruders had to be delt with and the damages to the labs doors had to be repaid.

Amber couldn't decide if she needed to snicker or wince at its response, the wince came first as she blocked it's left hook. She was expecting it to hit like a bus, but its strikes were precise, almost predictably so. The machine's perchant for striking based on probability alone made it easy for Amber to avoid or block many of its strikes, Dragoon was only an AI after all. However seeing no sweat on the machine reminded her that her stamina was only human and Dragoons stamina well, wasn't. In-between each action it paused for a fraction of a second, this kind of thing would be fatal to a human opponent but Dragoon reacted just quickly enough to close the gaps. It was clear that its base strength and speed were at the peak of human perfection, that being said, it was clearly holding back.

"Wait...is that?" She almost didn't notice it in time, some kind of cylinder tube revealed itself every time it paused. "That's gotta be the power core! Hey instructor, remember that backup I asked for? Now might be a good time!" She was sure of it, it was sparking with electricity after all, and mostly well guarded. The shell protecting it looked close to unbreakable with the steel that it was made of being a hue she'd never seen before.

Qrow slumped forward a bit as he judged their opponent. "Fine, fine I got it. Let's see how old bolt brain likes this." He stated as he transformed his scythe into its rifle mode; while its gun form wasn't near as elaborate as his niece's weapon, the long-range mode still worked like a charm.

"Scanning. Unorthadox function on an already unweildy weapon detected." Dragoon was almost surprised by the projectile until it recognized the source. "Adapt. Defend. Switching target Priority." She didn't understand why dictating her actions was compelling, The Dragoon just did what was natural. In her all combat state, it was hard to focus on what happened as she threw a punch at the charging man named Qrow. "Illogical? Processing data. Two targets still remain." The man had vanished from his charge, but he still had an aura. She was now clutching a crow's feather, she must have grabbed it from something.

Qrow had flown high enough into the air in his crow form to allow a swift transition back to his human form, with his scythe in its great-sword mode. Attempting to bring the slightly oversized blade down on the bot's collar area. "Surprise! Oh...not surprised, this got awkward fast." Not only had the bot predicted his movements, it had also turned around in time to grasp the blade with one hand, stopping his descent.

"Suggestion for tactical improvement. Sneak attacks are named thus as they are often silent." Dragoon turned to cross him with her free hand as she spoke before electing to toss him into a tree at full force. Qrow's eyes were closed and his body was limp, he either blacked out from the punch or he was dead, either one was just as likely.

Amber was far from happy, she knew Qrow was a bad luck magnet but this was just asinine. First of all, he activated the dumb thing to begin with. Then he somehow redirected not one but two lightning strikes and now the machine was adapting faster than they could counter it. She rushed to her mentor's side as he was flung into a tree, snapping it in two on impact. Unshockingly the man was still alive, she was a little impressed that he was still conscious after that cross. She felt sorry for the poor tree, now split in two from the impact her mentor gave it. It wasn't long after the exchange with Qrow that the machine somehow transformed her exoskeleton from her centurion like shape to slightly more organic form. It stood to reason why Ironwood wanted his mitts on the Dragoon, she was well beyond any tech they currently had and beyond the scope of two skilled hunters to boot. If it could reconstruct its entire body in seconds there's no telling what else it could do fully loaded out.

"Think you can stand Qrow?" Amber might have been impressed with his ability to stay conscious, but to see the famed hunter brought low so easily was worrisome.

"I think," Qrow started to stand up, winced, and rested on one knee. "Yeah no. I think bolt brain busted a rib or two slamming me into this tree." He felt pathetic, being caught off-guard like that in front of the kid; the only way that'd make him feel worse was if his niece had seen it.

"So what, I'm supposed to stop this thing myself now?" She was more than a bit flustered, this thing was next-level hunter business, not maiden-in-training punching bag business.

"Close-range negotiation failed. Data collection failed. Adaptability of enemy technology scanned. You are no longer useful to Dragoon unit. Preparing full buster cannon." Dragoon stated as it put its left arm forward with its palm facing outward. The arm and hand began to segment itself into fragments while still connected to the skeleton, shortly afterward taking the shape of a compact rail cannon.

"I'm going to kick myself for asking but..." Amber trailed off, the immense power building at the center of the travel sized rail cannon was explanitory enough.

"The full buster rail cannon. It is an electromagnetic pulse laser capable of wiping out a three and a half foot in diameter target area. This laser can reach up to six miles at full power. Prepare to be vaporised." The Dragoon explained as she charged her rail cannon to it's maximum output.

"I think not."

In that split second, time seemed to slow just enough for her to catch what the voice said. It was a boy, so it wasn't Ruby going at those speeds. Amber could swear the source had moved faster than her, however briefly as the stranger appeared behind them. The lad was roughly her height, dressed in the same clothes as the boy in the chamber, and he seemed her age now that she'd gotten a better look at him.

"You can fly?" Amber Blurted out as both her and Qrow were lifted into the air with little effort from the person who'd come to save them. "Also, several questions!" They were almost gliding to an unreasonable height as the rail cannon fired it's beam outward.

"Mom once called it falling with style. In order: nope, as fast as my overdrive could carry me, my Dragoon tracker was stolen so I had to use my tracker tracker, everything in the lab was fried by lightning and had to reboot, and have you any idea how long it takes to get rejuvination gell out of your hair?" Tobi paused for a moment. "And time seems to slow down with enough adrenaline in your body, I've learned to react to that sensation accordingly." He figured that covered all his basis as they slowly fell to the ground, or seemed to at any rate. Life or death situations were a hell of a drug.

"Excuse me?" Amber blinked and stared he clearly wasn't reading her mind, so how did he know what she was thinking. "Wait...a _tracker_...tracker?" She tried not to snicker, that seemed like something absurd to plan for. And she had no idea how something like that would work.

Qrow sighed with relief as they reached the ground unharmed. "Not to sound ungreateful but, the hell is an overdrive unit." He almost wanted to vomit, that sudden shift in altitude against his will was not what he needed after a full morning of drinking the extra hard stuff.

The boy shrugged his shoulders. "It's a small microchip implanted in my arm that allows me to absorb ambient electricity to power my drive units, which is how my legs and right arm move. Though it is puzzling how I managed to go quite this fast. Normally that would take a bolt of lightning or two." The boy seemed inwardly amused, if only for a second before returning to that same blank-looking expression.

"Ahaha...about that-oof, hey, easy on the broken ribs!" Qrow wished he'd learn to keep his mouth shut at times like this, but then he wouldn't be Qrow.

Amber gave the strange boy a smile. "So, does our mysterious savior have a name? And would he mind telling us where he's from?" It'd be an easy way to remember him when they gave the report if they all made it out of the situation alive.

"Savior would be stretching it." The boy paused in thought. "I merely did the most logical thing in that situation. True deflecting the blast would have been cooler, but overall it would have wasted energy and time. My name is Tobi. I'm Mantle's second-highest ranking robotics and bio-engineering expert of my time." He paused again to get a good look at Amber. "And if my assessment of your aura is correct, you owe me a rematch later miss maiden." Tobi finished with his arms crossed after letting the pair go, there's no way that lightning was natural.

"Excuse me but, we just met? I've never fought you unless you mean...wait, what?" Amber took a minute to let it click, was this Tobi speaking of the previous fall maiden?

Qrow was rubbing his temples. "Something tells me he's not kidding." It made sense considering he mentioned his time like it was nothing. "But more importantly...Mantle? As in the near-shining utopia from the history books? THAT Mantle? Or the more recent one that's kaput right now?" He didn't want to believe it, but he had no reason not to.

The introduction had happened so swiftly that Tobi's senses and comprehension had to catch up; thankfully they did just that pretty quickly. Dragoon had already augmented itself for combat once, that meant that this pair were fighting it or at least giving it new data for the last half hour. They weren't dressed in military clothes, but they certainly were not civilians. That meant they were either undercover, or there was a new faction he wasn't aware of. He also had no idea how long he'd been in stasis for.

"Did I stutter? Now for my questions." Tobi replied stiffly. "History Books? How...long was I asleep? Who are you two, and more importantly what are your intentions with Dragoon? I'll help all I can but she is in a bit of a phase right now. And I did mean 'a' previous Fall Maiden, how many Maidens have come and gone since then however is a toss up." He was surprised with the resemblance, though this girl was much younger than the Maiden he knew however briefly.

"Engaging denial protocol. I am not in a phase!" Dragoon was mostly humoring him at this point, she hated how Tobi liked to analyse everything she did. Hate? What was that? Why was it annoying?

"In Order? Somewhere in the ballpark of "really freakin long" and "most of your tech belongs in an anchient history museum." We're both hunters, sort of a special ops group that takes jobs the top brass doesn't bother doing. Mainly Grimm disposal and civilian protection. We were tasked with bringing Dragoon here in for threat assessment and potential enrollment into the rank and file of Atlas Military." Qrow hoped that he'd phrased that right, it was surprisingly difficult to get a read on the kid.

Tobi let out an exhasperated sigh. "Very...accurate numbers." Tobi only took a moment to calculate the exact length of time. "I think we can help eachother then. Dragoon's logic seems off kilter, probably from an aura overload. Unfortunately we'll need to shut her down by force at this point. Problem being she's so skilled at fighting me I can't create an opening to hit her with a close range EMP without help, which is where you two come in. How good are you two at tactical improv?" He finished with a raised brow, both of them seemed adequitely trained.

"Are you kidding, that's what us hunters are trained for! So how do we disable the machine?" Amber wasn't about to question his reasoning, Dragoon didn't seem willing to comply.

Tobi sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Technically there is no machine, it's a program, able to replicate itself and augment itself on a molecular level. Long story short, that exoskeleton is a skull, and that container I'm sure you briefly caught sight of inside its abdomen is her brain. I would explain the difference between male and female when it comes to programming AI, but I feel the knowledge would be lost on you." He finished as he put a hand to his chin, at least these two were curious enough to ask questions.

"You ain't wrong there kiddo," Qrow stated while lazily scratching his neck with his free hand. "All we need to know is how to turn the thing off so we can bring it to Atlas for examination. Couldn't say why they want it though, I'm no tech geek unless it involves a directional pad and a tv screen." He wasn't all that embarrassed to admit that, his losing streak against his old teammate's kids was far more humiliating.

"I do believe I introduced myself as Tobi mister Qrow, no more and no less," Tobi stated with exhaustion in his tone, for a trained ranger of sorts he certainly wasn't taking the situation seriously.

"Well then mister no less, are you gonna tell us where the off switch is or what?" Amber was getting a touch irritated as well, especially with Dragoon finishing up regenerating its lost arm.

"We'll need to use a close-range EMP, basically it's just a huge shock-wave of electricity released at once. Again, she's more than intelligent enough to fully counter nearly every diversion tactic I have. I could have stepped in earlier, but she wasn't focusing completely on you two at that point." Tobi explained with a serious expression as he stretched his arms by rolling both shoulders.

Amber shrugged her shoulders. "Wait if you know how to defeat this thing, why haven't you taken it down at this point?" She had to admit that it was a solid plan, get in close and knock out its power source. So what exactly was stopping him from using that plan himself?

Tobi sighed as he took a more centered fighting stance, instead of wasting his breath on words he would demonstrate with his actions. He began building power, using the leftover electricity from the two lightning strikes that struck his lab. As he did he braced his legs and put his right arm forward, resting it on his left for support. The Dragoon took a half step backward as if it were anticipating something.

"Look, kid, a high five isn't gonna work from this dis-" Qrow stopped cold as Tobi's arm released an energy wave. Pure, blue-hued electricity concentrated toward the Dragoon, unfortunately, the Dragoon blocked the blast, forcing the electricity around an energy field.

Amber stood there in bewilderment for a second. "Holy crap that was basically a portable version of one of Atlas's rail canons, and...it's built into your arm." She blinked after she said that out loud, and kind of wondered if he also had a rocket punch.

"A commendable effort chief bio-mechanics engineer Tobi, but you forget I was built to withstand damage from all forms of natural resources. If I was a human, I believe the proper turn of phrase would be 'get wrecked scrub.'" Dragoon stated playfully as it stretched its limbs out in order to prepare for the next round of hand to hand.

"Did that bot just use nerd talk? Now I've seen everything," Qrow stated with a slight bit of amusement as he thought about it. As annoying as a foe of this caliber was to fight, it was at the very least entertaining.

"Doctor Richter was an...eccentric man. And an enigma of personality on top of that," Tobi sighed in frustration as his basic energy levels returned to normal, he really didn't want to waste it on a demonstration but there was no easy way to answer Amber's question. "Dragoon, I'm not saying this just as a chief engineer, I'm saying this as a friend, stand. down. So we can get you fixed up." He ordered with as much authoritative tone as he could muster, adding actual emotion to his voice took considerable effort on his part.

"Negative. Objective is not yet complete." Dragoon stated firmly as it took a fighting stance, the time for negotiation was over.

"It's been complete for decades now, so many decades our country has a new legacy under the same ma-er name. There's no reason to be-" Tobi paused when the Dragoon fired a small laser at him, it was a candlestick compared to his own arm cannon which wasn't fully operational yet. "So that's how we're doing this, again, very well then Dragoon. As there are civilians here I plan to hold back. Hopefully that won't disappoint you. Get ready you two, it doesn't seem like she intends to hold back at all this time." He took his stance after regaining his composure, cracking his knuckles as he did.

"What do you mean it won't be holding back?" Amber's thoughts stopped dead in their tracks when the machine took a step forward, then vanished. "Ah, that's what you meant..." She blinked as the bot reappeared, Tobi had blocked its strike but as a result, his feet had dug into the ground from the impact.

It was at this point the duel with the machine resumed, between himself and his new allies Tobi figured he stood a chance this time. Tobi lead the charge with his hand to hand, making sure to not trigger the energy shield. Qrow and Amber would routinely switch between long and short range combat in an attempt to distract their foe. It was impressive what little teamwork he could arrange with these so-called park rangers, not many could stand against Dragoon like this back in training. Amber's flames only seemed to hold anger at her target, and it was quite hard to describe what Qrow's semblance actually did.

"Hey bolt brain, would you mind not shooting lasers at us?" Qrow taunted half seriously as he narrowly escaped a shot that would've otherwise hit him.

"It is getting kind of old." Amber added, though she was more annoyed at how much slower Qrow was moving now. To be fair, he was doing what he could with two broken or cracked ribs.

"Affirmative. Ceasing pew-pew protocol. Engaging ballistics protocol." Dragoon chimed rather mischievously as she transformed once more, her arms now bearing small firing mechanisms and spraying steel shells at her target.

"..." Qrow could feel the dagger of Amber's glare despite the fact that she was using hand to hand in an attempt to create an opening.

"Great, a living probability magnet and a faulty one at that. I realize being sarcastic is your defining character trait, but you really aren't helping Qrow." Tobi figured his statement probably fell on deaf ears since the man attached to them had charged forward to strike Dragoon.

Whoever trained these Hunters and the female variant the Huntress were quite skilled, though their tactics were probably unconventional. There was, however, a certain charm to this think on one's feet method of solving a difficult problem in a combat situation. What was likely mere minutes began to feel like hours, and only the forest seemed to be showing signs of the bout progressing. It seemed yet again Tobi had underestimated Dragoons tenacity. Tobi almost locked up processing the whirlpool of emotions as the tides of the fight ebbed and flowed. With both Qrow and Amber on their last leg, Dragoon took a moment to gloat. Tobi charged forward in this instance, and broke through Dragoons shield. The strike was so fast that he barely managed to grasp the Dragoon's main processor chamber while it was exposed with his left hand.

"Must complete...task, important mission given by Richter." Dragoon's vocal chips were short-circuited by the overflow of its shield breaking, it was impressed it managed that much.

"The mission has been complete for a while now," Tobi stated coldly as he walked toward his rival, still maintaining his composure. "You've earned your bit of rest, so don't make this any harder than it already is." He placed his right hand around the cylinder that contained the data core for dragoon and prepared the electrical charge. When he released it, the shockwave mostly affected the machine, though Qrow and Amber did reel a bit from the sound.

"Ya know the way you said EMP I was expecting something a little more...kaboom?" Qrow was a little bit confused, yeah whatever shock wave thing the kid released damaged the robot enough to shut it down as he ripped its core out but it wasn't as volatile as he had expected.

1234

Tobi sighed and shook his head. "That's because the core takes most of the damage from the electricity, whatever is left either ends up wrecking its robot shell or-" He winced when his cybernetics started sparking with electricity. "Well that did more harm to my electrical components than I'd hoped, ow." He fell to his knees as he finished what he was saying, but quickly regained his composure and managed to get one leg to sort of help him get up.

"Ow?" Amber winced out of instinct, seeing the sparks coming of her new cyborg friend made her glad she was fully organic. "You're putting off more sparks than a sparkler firework and all you're saying is ow? Qrow, contact Ironwood and tell him we have a unique medical emergency on our hands." She moved to Tobi and heaved him over her shoulder as quickly as she could.

"He uh, wants to know what kind of medical emergency," Qrow stated with an awkward tone as his old friend answered the call at the other end of the line.

"The only Dr. Light can fix and needs the fastest transportation available kind!" Amber knew the guy was only asking for more information but the situation was a bit more serious at the moment.

"I can repair myself-if I can get back to the lab-" Tobi winced, something he hadn't done in a very long time. "perhaps I do require some assistance." He passed out after that, which lead to some of the electric sparks from his cybernetic limbs dying down and fizzling out.

Tobi remembered very little of the next few moments after that point, but what he did recall were par for the course after a heated bout with his rival. He sensed his environment change once or twice and struggled to respond to whatever doctor was attempting to repair him. He felt a surge of electricity at least once, some clumsy mechanic was trying to brute force it. After that, a sudden chill hit his spine as a small, soft voice reprimanded said mechanic for being in too much of a rush. Aside from those few oddities, everything else was his systems recovering the backup data from when he passed out. There were moments where he was completely awake, but they were fleeting at best. In this state, he had no concept of time passing. Needless to say, he was not looking forward to being told how long he was out for, let alone how long it'd take for him to be fully functional again.

"Where...oh right. I blacked out." Tobi massaged his temples as he leaned upward. "Why do my legs always take the longest to reboot?" To be fair it had been some time since he was damaged this badly, to the point where the repairs weren't entirely complete by the time he regained his senses. "Both motor drives must be out of juice. Have to get my bearings. Dictation of ones actions...highly innefective." Tobi was still reeling from the blackout, but he could gather basic intel even while imobile.

His vision was still a little bit blurred from the long period of unconsciousness, but he could get his bearings quite well. Even if most of his memory backup had failed, he could tell he was in an engineer's lab. From the looks of the equipment, consoles, and parts it was certainly no backwater garage lab but it wasn't some highly advanced military base either. Which frankly was a relief, both Amber and Qrow's reaction to him saying he was from Mantle didn't paint a great picture of exactly how long he and Dragoon were in stasis for. The equipment itself wasn't too different from his father's lab, though it looked almost heartless without the silly merchandise the old man kept around. Once the reserve drive units were fully booted up he hopped down from the repair table.

"Let's see now." Tobi stretched his arm, then tested his hand motor skills. "Passable. And the legs?" He took a moment to stretch his legs and tap each foot. "Primary motors are still shot to hell. For a rush job, acceptable." He still wasn't sure weather to thank the mechanics responsible or scold them for being so rushed in the first place.

"Heh, I guess I owe Chrome fifty credits; you're up and about way faster than the doctor predicted." The tiny, timid voice came almost out of nowhere, if it belonged to a snake it would've bitten him.

Tobi tilted his head to the side slightly. "I never thought I'd run into a little grease monkey my age...with cat ears..." He knew the Faunus were a species, but the last time he had heard about them they were an extreme minority with population on the rise.

The girl had a small frame, one that made him feel masculine to a degree which was saying something. He recognized the traditional mechanics garb, that design hadn't aged at all. Oil plastered white undershirt and bluejean suspenders and durable looking leather boots. The brown ish cat ears and tail matched her tan hair and contrasted the deep blue eyes. His mother aside, Tobi had his own reservations and curiosities regarding Faunus as a species. It was hard to tell what was captivating about the little pipsqueek shaking like a leaf, potentially the familiar scent of acrid smoke. As worn in as her clothes looked, it was clear she treasured both them and the hobby associated with it.

"C-could you n-not give me s-such a p-puzzled look? I'm getting a bit nervous...I know you're from Mantle and all b-but." The girl stopped mid-sentence, blinking as Tobi approached her, with his arms crossed. "D-did I say something to upset you?" She wasn't really scared, more uncertain than anything. His movement was so calm and precise that the sudden change in stance made her actually nervous.

"I can't be discontent. At the moment I barely remember my own name. Right now I'm evaluating your usefulness." He opened the front panels of his legs, revealing their complex internal workings. "These drive units are damaged you see? The backup units are functional. However I'm straining them just to stand and stretch. I wonder if there's anything you might do to help?" Tobi asked with a monotone voice while directing her attention to the still sparking parts where the drive units were housed.

The Faunus took a step back and blushed. "You want me to f-fix those drive units? I-I can't, Dr. Light is away right now. And without his permission, I'll just get lectured again." She spat her response out about as calmly as she could. Which was incredibly hard to do when she had a stutter and was talking to a living piece of Atlas's history.

"Your passion for machinery speaks for itself miss. I wouldn't be asking if I didn't have full confidence that you could do the repairs." He was not interested in excuses, he just needed to be back to full capacity as soon as possible. "If this Dr. Light has any words for you afterward. I don't care how renowned he is: he can have them with me. Now please fix my legs. I have an important task to do which requires all of my abilities." Tobi finished without a hint of his mild frustration showing in his tone or expression.

"R-right away mister Tobi!" The Faunus seemed to perk up with confidence after that comment. "Hmm...the main drive units are pretty damaged. I don't know if it's possible to repair them. But the housing for them, and the location in the circuitry are similar to-Ah! I k-know exactly what to do, please wait a moment, I'm N-Naya by the way." Naya wasn't sure introducing herself was a great idea but he seemed nice enough.

Though Tobi's initial interest in Faunus was minimal at best, something had piqued his curiosity about them. It had been at minimum a few decades, and while the new genome of human was fairly young; they were vastly superior. It honestly annoyed him that they were given a label, it wasn't like being white or black but an actual species name. It was already taking negative trends when Mantle was still around. And he had no idea how bad the racism had gotten while he was in stasis. The concept troubled him a little bit, but being a single human there was little he could do to resolve the issue. As Naya returned with her large toolbox he sat back down on the table to make repairing his legs easier.

Naya tilted her head a bit. "Tobi, you...don't want to be offline for these repairs?" She asked curiously with concern in her tone.

"It is only three of my four limbs that are bionic. I can't just shut them down like some toy either. Were you not present when Dr. Light was repairing them?" Tobi was only being realistic, though to be fair only those three limbs needed repairing.

"You can't just shut them down? How come, they're just **prosthetics** right?" That was a bit surprising for Naya to hear, even Atlas's high-end gear didn't have that particular design quirk.

"The control unit for them is interwoven with my nervous system, it's how I move them so easily even with minimal power charges on each of them. I can technically disconnect the limbs at their base, but the bases themselves are surgically grafted to my body. If I'm recalling correctly, the procedure was...not pleasant." It was sadly one of the few memories Tobi had, and it caused nightmares once in a blue moon.

"T-that's...I don't have the words!" Naya dropped her tools, that procedure sounded morally incorrect at minimum. "What kind of bio-robotics engineer worth their salt would come up with such a procedure?" She didn't intend to say that second part out-loud but the inventor in her was a bit furious at that.

"The contributed fifty percent of my DNA kind. Father was brilliant, but he had his flaws like any other man." Tobi paused and sighed, thinking back on it only made his half victory against Dragoon feel worse. "That's enough reminiscing for now though, please just repair my legs. I'd like them in working order as soon as possible." He really wasn't typically this honest about his past, but something about the mechanic's demeanor made him less wary.

"Oh! Right, repairs are important too, it's my job. Um...just let me know if you feel anything while I'm working ok?" Naya asked with concern in her tone, she could sense she'd struck a nerve and didn't want to press further despite his flat personality.

"If I...feel anything?" Tobi crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "I'm unsure of what you mean by that. But if you mean physical stimuli regarding the basic definition of pain I'll be sure to twitch my leg and contort my face accordingly." He really wasn't sure what that phrase meant, emotion was a puzzle he stopped solving immediately after the procedure.

"Hehe, that's a pretty funny way of saying that but ok, whatever works. Now onward to my secret mission!" Naya had said that last part underneath her breath, she was sure her invention would be in good hands for now.

Tobi was almost impressed with how quickly Naya set up her little portable repair station. She'd gotten everything in working order in just a minute or two. While she worked, she was certainly persistent in engaging in small-talk; a skill that frankly he sorely lacked in. The conversation, in general, was mostly one-sided anyway, it fascinated him that such a simple thing kept her focused. Every once in a while Tobi would have a chance to speak up, sometimes he remained silent and others he had a question. Particularly about the strange crystal that she had affixed to the power supply of the device that was to replace his drive units.

It was a mineral known as Dust, a crystallized energy of varying elemental natures. The four basic ones were predictably fire, water, earth, and wind but newer technology gave rise to manufacturing combined elements like lightning or even light. It could be broken down into a powder and threaded into clothes for various effects depending on the user's skill with their Aura and Semblance. Solid items like shield plating or your average defense tool of choice would provide a boost in effectiveness. It really was a miraculous little mineral with unfathomable potential. Naya had just started a tangent about her own theories about the substance but froze as her cat ears twitched backward in an alert manner. Even though the repairs on both legs were complete she seemed to rush putting her tools away, she seemed to be a bit on edge as well.

"Uh, I'll explain later...but hurry and close your leg panels up now ok?" Naya spat it out as quickly as she could, becoming more alert as footstep sounds got closer.

"I would ask why but judging by your sudden change in composure I'm sure I'd wind up kicking myself later for knowing," Tobi stated as the panels closed up and activated the thin hologram of skin tone. He was just relieved to have the combat functions of his legs restored.

"You'd trust me that quickly?" Naya blinked in bewilderment, she had met people who played it close to the vest before. But there was being stoic, and then whatever enigma Tobi seemed to be.

"I don't know if 'trust' is the right word, however, you've given me no reason not to trust you. I'm not entirely sure I understand the concept, let alone that 'feeling' word you mentioned earlier." Tobi wasn't entirely sure of anything right now, granted dealing with a minor case of amnesia could do that to someone.

Naya tilted her head a bit, now she was even more puzzled. "Eh? You mean you don't know the definition of those things or...what?" She blushed a bit when her selective hearing caught up with his compliment. "Hehe, I'll take that as a compliment, not that I go out of my way to leave that impression." He really was seeming less intimidating by the moment, but they were still worlds apart from being on the same page.

"This nonsense again, you're just like the researchers back in my...time, wow that just hit me how weird that is to say." Tobi tapped the tips of his left foot on the ground, time travel was confusing. "I know the definition of those things, and the biological component linked to them. But ever since that procedure I haven't been able to...express them I believe the term is. It's honestly frustrating, trying to make a program think like a human when I barely understand the human part of it." He was hoping that was a logical explanation, he wasn't the type to want to explain things in detail if he could avoid it.

"Wait, then that means the person who actually programmed that Dragoon thing?" Naya was legitimately intrigued by that conundrum, that really would've been an odd type of person to assign as head of that project.

"None other than Tobi Kandzume, head of Mantle's finest team of bioengineering research and development scientists." The stern voice came from a rather well-built man in a white military uniform, the decorations upon his shoulder logically dictated that he was of high rank.

Tobi shrugged his shoulders. "You can add amnesiac to that title, at least for the moment. You must be this Admiral James that Amber mentioned a few moments before I passed out." He stated bluntly as he examined the man closely, caution in his eyes.

The man was fairly tall, and looked middle aged judging from his facial features. He had broad shoulders, and was built like a machine had made him. Almost to a literal sense, since judging from how he moved James was far more robotic than Tobi was. It was hard to tell how much more, but his demeanor depicted a man who knew how to survive. What he lacked in intimidation factor for your average admiral, he made up for with a calm tempermant and posture fitting for a soldier. He was too much like the man responsible for a lot of grief he and the other researchers had to deal with.

"Yes, the good Doctor Light did tell our mechanics the memory circuits in that chipset were badly damaged and had to be replaced. Still, your organic memory storage should come back in time, speaking of which. How much do you know about whatever technology you used to distort time?" James had to raise a brow, normally the reaction to finding out about amnesia would be either panic or grief. The young lad showed signs of neither, even with his professional training it was hard to get a read on him.

"Enough to get my over ambitous arse a one way ticket to a time period where what's left of my country is collecting dust in a museum and damage said technology beyond repair. Sorry if you had your heart set on learning the secrets of Mantel's tech. Even when I first arrived I barely remembered what happened before I was so rudely awoken by a certain someone's heat lightning striking the lab." He had predicted such questions would come up, and despite his memory loss he knew exactly the right answer.

In all honesty Tobi wasn't all that miffed about the time travel tech being trashed, he had predicted such an outcome. What he was angry with was his father not having the foresight to build a backup machine as a failsafe. He had no idea how much of the lab was still functional, outside the shipping crate that he arrived in.

"So Qrow's hunch was right, Oz wasn't after the tech," James stated underneath his breath, at least the boy was bold enough to answer. "I know you just came out of a three month long recovery from heavy repairs to your bionic parts. But I have a proposal, the four great nations are entering a colaberation of sorts with Vale. If you're interested I'd like you to take part in that colaberation, assuming you're fully repaired?" He made sure that there was honesty in his tone, with no sense of ulterior motives that the average kid his age could detect.

"The four great nations you say? This is intriguing, what exactly is this colaberation admiral?" Tobi was certain world peace wasn't achieved, the Grimm were still a huge problem and the Faunus as well were among his concerns.


	2. Nakama

Chapter Two: Nakama

"Well, all the nations have hunter schools, and every few years there's an event called the Vytal festival," James paused for a moment, putting a hand to his chin. "Essentially it is a sporting event held to honor cooperation between the continents. The program will have teams of students from the other countries hunter academies attend three full semesters. During the third semester a...contest of strength will be held in which the students will compete in a tournament of sorts. The 'festival' part comes from the celebration of the union between the four countries. " He finished with the same stiff demeanor that Tobi's father had.

"So essentially a student transfer program that leads up to a...sporting event? And you want to host such an event with the political climate and the situation with the White Fang and brothers knows who else in the state that it is?" Tobi stated seriously while crossing his arms. "I'm not up to speed on every goings on in modern Remnant. Lieutenant. But with tensions as they currently are. Is that not a bit of a gamble?" He tilted his head attempting to display a puzzled demeanor.

"If you know the situation with the White Fang then you know exactly what the purpose of this sporting event is. Beacon has been increasingly aggressive in trying to buddy up with other nations lately. Ozpin is a wise man: but his current demeanor and secretive nature lately have us all on edge. " James explained with a bit of surprise in his tone, the boy was pretty quick on the uptake.

Ozpin this, Ozpin that, what could one mortal man do to make others so wary of his demeanor. This was the second time the man had been referred to with a sort of backhanded praise. The few people he'd met seemed to trust him a great deal, given their praise of his apparently wise nature. James's description of the man brought back memories of a certain individual Tobi had met. If this Ozpin was anywhere close to that man in demeanor or morals, James and whoever else of the top brass of each country had every right to be wary. The last thing his forgotten mentor said about his relationship with his lady friend was troubling to say the least. It almost sounded romantic, if not for the creepy intensity in which he said it. Either way, what little information he got out of Naya about huntsmen schooling had piqued his interest.

"Ozpin you say? I wonder...bah I'm overthinking it. I'll do it. Mostly to see if I get to meet this enigma of a man who's made you so wary. I believe I had a hand in shutting down a rogue robot yes? Where is it at the moment? It could be quite dangerous in the wrong hands." Tobi asked with the same monotone voice that he'd had since he'd lost his memories, at least that's when the change seemed to happen.

"It is, for lack of a better term, being dissected and studied at the moment. We just had to examine the technology it possessed. Don't worry though, we aren't just eggheads banging rocks together, it'll be in fine working order when we're done." James was a bit surprised at how calmly Tobi had taken the news of his amnesia. It wasn't exactly a normal condition like the common cold or the flu.

Tobi tapped what would've been his right toe on the ground. "I'm not talking about the combat shell." He paused and tapped the other foot once. "I'm referring to the core itself; the self-evolving AI who answers to Tessa. I was clutching a container of sorts in my hands when I arrived yes?" He didn't know why he needed to specify what he meant, it was merely a habit.

"Under lock and key inside our most secure bunker, several levels of protection inside and out. Along with some of our best troops, a few humans for backup. Nothing short of an army will take your precious Tessa unit." James stated with confidence in his voice and pride in his posture.

"You remind me of my old man; and no that wasn't a compliment. Glad to see the cocky confidence of Mantle has only grown finer with age. You say nothing short of an army. What about an ambitious moron with far more capable handymen to do their bidding?" Tobi wasn't even sure what people meant when they brought up hunches, but asking the question out loud made him think he was having one.

"Are you saying our security isn't tight enough without a tour of our facilities?" James raised a brow, the lad was certainly brazen to speak doubt in front of an admiral.

"The opposite actually...the security is likely shall we say...too tight. From what your little tinkerer told me Atlas is too reliant on metal and oil in the rank and file instead of ya know...actual rank and file." Tobi paused when his right shoulder sparked a little. "As you can see; dystopian or not technology is technology. I'm actually a bit impressed though. Typically full system repairs would take upwards of a year. Who was the head mechanic in restoring my limbs?" He had to admit that he was a little curious, sure Naya handled the basic repairs and some butterfingers got his power cores up and running. But the pair of engineers seemed like they wouldn't be able to work without direction.

"Dr Ignis Light, we just call him Dr. Light for the shorthanded version. Naya, you look like you're trying too hard to speak out of turn. What's got you spacing out?" James asked as he noticed that she was being even more quiet than usual.

"N-nothing at all Admiral, well m-maybe kinda sorta a little something? Tobi's description earlier got me thinking about someone I and Chrome almost signed a contract for. He wanted a boomstick, so I built him one-but he also wanted it to be a cane. He didn't seem too important, just some dapper nobody in a white tux and a silly black hat. But he had enough stones to claim he was running e-errands for the White Fang? Can't imagine they'd ever trust a human, at least if he didn't have any sort of connection." Naya spit it out all at once, but at least she managed to remain calm while explaining her mental process.

"A white tuxedo and a black hat, and a boomstick cane?" James put a hand to his chin and hummed in thought. "It's good to know you two were cautious enough to know better. I think that's all there is to discussing that man for now. Naya you should find Chrome and go help Dr. Light with whatever big pipe dream he's scheming at the moment." James finished seriously with a bit of concern in his eyes.

"You mean you want us to be your flies on the wall?" Naya wasn't entirely sure why she had enough courage to phrase it quite so bluntly, normally she'd simply nod and follow orders.

"No, I need you two to make sure he isn't up to anything overtly dangerous. Besides he's stated several times in his reports how useful both of you are to him." James had a feeling meeting a new friend might help her out of her icy shell, but he was surprised for it to be so sudden.

"Only because our room and board are paid for and we use our paychecks on food." She wasn't trying to make it sound bitter at all, it just sorts of came out that way.

"That has very little bearing on your usefulness as well as your species. Talented hands are going to put nuts and bolts together regardless of how they were born." It was kind of interesting to see a little of her bravery return. She had been so timid and frail since that little outburst in the lab a couple of years ago.

Tobi crossed his arms and glanced between the two. "James I will ask this nicely out of curiosity once more. How exactly is the relationship between humans and the Faunus? If I am recalling correctly things were always dodgy. But never so bad that it required any sort of activist group like the White Fang you both keep mentioning." Normally he wouldn't be terribly invested in matters like this. However, the exchange between the admiral and his mechanic was getting interesting.

"Activist group would be putting it mildly if I'm perfectly honest with you. Their hearts and motives are in the right places, but certain branches can be a tad on the extreme side. We even have equal opportunity employment for them now." James answered seriously with a bit of caution in how he phrased it.

"For 'them' Admiral?" Tobi crossed his arms, he was not pleased with that tone or that label, his mother was one of them after all.

"With twenty percent less medical coverage and tax prices explicitly for Faunus-related products." Naya was more or less thinking aloud at this point considering she said that one under her breath.

"Ahem, the four nations also came together and elected to organize a country for them." James had an inkling that this conversation was just going to go from bad to worse if he didn't smooth things over soon.

"If you call a quarter continent-sized island in the middle of nowhere that's two-thirds desert a country." Now that one Naya actually did intend to sound bitter, but she didn't mean to say it quite so loudly.

Tobi was growing a bit more fascinated by the exchange with every minute. In his time even talented Faunus were overworked and underpaid on top of being a minority. Now their population was likely on par with or even outnumbering the human race in numbers. The government was obviously genuinely trying to smooth things over. Unfortunately, the suits in charge were as always only looking at statistics and PR results. The conversation itself was utterly dull, a story he'd heard time and again from many departments of the company his father managed. Interestingly the pair didn't seem to be sizing each other up for a scrap. However he didn't need to understand emotion to know what empathy was, nor what was causing the rising tension. At the moment he could probably cut the tension with a knife, but the main concern was the notable chill coming from Naya. James likely was too far from where she was standing to notice, but it certainly wasn't his imagination. Logic would dictate that it was the air vent above her, but many things in Remnant didn't operate on logic. That cold chill slowly building up around Naya was coming from her.

"Ahem. Miss Naya you mentioned something called a manga cafe in our conversation yes?" Tobi tried to act natural, which for him was completely neutral and void of any emotional tells.

"Huh? Oh! I um, y-yes me and Chrome used to stay there when we didn't have anywhere else. W-what are you b-bringing that up for anyway?" Naya couldn't stop her eyes from lighting up at the mention of her favorite kind of comics.

"Would you mind going there and fetching me a few volumes to sample as long as it's the first issue? Assuming you have the admiral's permission to do so of course; she can do that and then go help

Dr. Light with whatever he's cooking up correct?" Tobi wasn't sure what emotion to display in this situation, so he settled on giving the admiral an icy glare.

"Ahh-er, yes, of course, she can run that little errand for you while I give you a tour of where you'll be working and staying for now." James was caught off-guard by the sudden shift of interest, Tobi had a sharp intuition for an amnesiac.

"I c-can? Yay! I mean ahem, t-thank you so much for permission to do so Admiral Ironwood. I'll talk Chrome into helping with Dr. Light duty afterward of course." Naya was even more elated to get permission to leave the grounds. If the subject hadn't changed when it did, she probably would've exploded. And last time she lost her temper like that wasn't good for her research.

"And just like lightning, she's off in a heartbeat. It's almost adorable seeing her so elated from time to time." James finally had a chance to breathe after Naya practically pranced out of sight.

"Open foot, insert mouth." Tobi uttered audibly with just the smallest little smirk on his face.

"Er-come again?" James raised a brow, Tobi was a bookworm from his demeanor and vocabulary. But he really didn't seem like the proverb-spewing type.

"Something my mother would say to tease father after a failed business engagement. I realize the government, and all involved mean well. But I'd like to think that the military was better at phrasing after thousands of years. If you indeed wish to improve public relations, you may wish to work on formality and worry less about how a speech looks to the PR. Maybe consider what both sides wish to hear next time." Tobi wasn't sure if his phrasing was correct at all, but just the way James spoke about the benefits irked him.

"Oof, I'd hate to take a jab at ya James but uh I think the kid's got your number already," Qrow stated with amusement in his tone as he entered the room.

"Hello Qrow, and what may I ask brought you all the way to Atlas?" James was annoyed by Brownen's quip, though he did have a point.

"Just here to deliver some information, we found spring," Qrow stated seriously after taking a sip from his flask.

Tobi tilted his head to the side "You...found spring? I'm not sure I follow what you mean." He was pretty sure that the four seasons weren't actually people. Sure he'd read the fairy tale, but that was just folklore.

-[Three Weeks Later: Doctor Ignis's Underground Lab]-

It was a pretty dull few weeks of work for Tobi, getting accustomed to the modern Remnant technology. The tells were all over the place why they called his tech ancient. So he settled on improving his ideas and working hard to aid Ignis in his research. Tobi's father was far too focused on the mechanical side of bioengineering, while his mother was the exact opposite. Doctor Ignis was much like Tobi, somewhere in the middle. Though his unrivaled passion for animated media was a tad concerning in terms of research priorities.

"So did you guys get to see that new kid Doctor Light's got working for him yet?" It was one of the security guards on duty for the protection of Dragoon's core. The bunker itself had the best security around, and the few humans working the grounds were somewhat cocky.

"Are you kiddin? The runt leaves his workstation even less than the doc does, and that's saying something!" A more burly looking guard stated with a chuckle as he examined the full house he had been dealt in their game of poker.

"Can't really blame him though; the kid's been coming up with all kinds of great stuff. A fiber that can stretch to near limitless potential, solid light projection, even something called a satellite. What is launching a buncha hardware into orbit gonna do for us?" A more boy-ish security guard stated as he groaned in annoyance and folded, he had been dealt a poor hand of one pair.

"It would be unwise to tempt fate, that boy has potential with all of his cybernetics. Still, the few times he has left the lab it's been to check in with security. A runt he may be, but he's probably more capable than the three of you." The more business like security guard spoke in a firm tone, clearly an authority figure of the group. "I win, by the way, a royal flush." He finished with a smirk as he showed his hand.

The other three security guards were somewhat dejected as they folded their current hands. After the poker game was finished they all went about their rounds as they usually did. The grounds themselves had several layers of protection. It was so well guarded that anyone who didn't know the facility would have just a hard of a time getting out as they would breaking in. They weren't entirely sure what the big deal with the Tessa thing was. However they were just nameless grunts, it wasn't in their job description to ask questions.

"What's that alarm for? We usually don't get security breaches this far into the doc's personal storage warehouse." The scrawniest of the bunch questioned his partner as they passed it.

"It's for the only purpose you'd put a security alert system this deep into the compound idiot. Didn't you get briefed on your assignment before you started your shift a week ago?" His partner asked in a dejected tone as he thought about it.

"Well yeah, but it's not like I read the entire dossier for how the security system worked. It's supposed to be the most advanced detection system we have right?" The scrawny guard paused as the alarm sounded. "Advanced enough to...trigger itself?" He finished as he crossed his arms and gave his partner a puzzled look.

"Idiot! That means someone else triggered the alarm-" A distant explosion shook the compound's foundation. "And that's the reason why. Now activate your breach scanners and get moving! We're actually earning our paychecks today." He stated with frustration as he bolted toward the sound.

Meanwhile, the four individuals responsible for the ruckus were standing a few feet behind the solid steel walls that previously blocked their paths were surrounded by soot. A dark tan skinned teenage girl with emerald clothes and hair, a silver-haired teen boy wearing a grey jacket and pants. Accompanied by a slender man in a white suit and pants wearing a black hat, and a buxom woman with black hair with a strand of white and some pink as well. Both the wall and their eardrums had hardly finished rupturing before they started bickering.

"Mercury, I think next time we maybe use a little less?" The emerald haired teen questioned with her tone full of sarcasm.

"Come on Emerald, any less C4 and the steel walls wouldn't budge...what do you mean le-oooh, right, security guards." Mercury wished he was kidding, they were greeted with a group of twelve security guards. Many of them were well armed, and their laser sights were already trained on them.

"Well now, what have we here? A Welcoming party gentlemen? Surely you must know who we are." The tall man was leaning on his cane as he spoke to them. "Smile for the camera Neo, we got work to do that doesn't involve-what is it this time?" He stopped mid speech when Neo had a glint in her eye.

"Which. Camera. Boss?" Neo signed with a childish grin on her face.

"It's a figure of speech Neo! Quit being a smartass and get to work already." The man in the white tux seemed to have little patients.

"Let's see Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black, some random guy and-" The commander of the group blinked and paused as Neo vanished. "Huh, she disappeared, neat." He hadn't really seen semblances in action before so he wasn't sure what to expect. Most people knew of Semblances and how to deal with them, but actual aptitude for it was slightly uncommon.

"I told you she'd run at the first sign of trouble," Mercury stated bluntly shrugging his shoulders as he spoke.

"Could you gentleman move aside, the big wigs back with the White Fang aren't paying me to deal with low-level grunts." The tall man chimed sarcastically as he tipped his hat to them in a mocking way.

"Like a do nothing street thug could do anything against us, what's with the mob boss getup anyway? Ya plan on singin in the rain?" One of the security guards knew exactly who he was talking to, and he was amused.

"Street thug?"

"Oh dear, you pushed the angry button. Emerald, beat these mooks up before he actually gets angry?" Mercury's tone couldn't bear any more sarcasm if he tried as he gestured toward them.

"Don't look at me; I'm only paid to handle machines remember? Besides aren't you the son of some big name assassin or something?" Emerald asked curiously, putting a hand on her hip and shifting her weight as she did.

"Keyword there, son of an assassin. I mean yeah I took the job after offing the old man, but I just needed the money. Like you said, we're not paid enough by this idiot for goons like these. Our other benefactor though...it is a tough call, specially cause she literally just assigned us to him." Mercury was entirely serious, he could easily handle four maybe even five guards. Twelve of them would be exciting sure, but he wasn't really in the mood.

"I'm right HERE you know! Kids these days, no sense of respect." The tall man lit a cigar and began smoking it. "If you want something done right, ya gotta do it yourself." He pointed his cane at the guards and opened its sight while aiming at the leader.

"Oh look big bad Roman Torchwick is angry at us!" One of the security guards quipped playfully.

"Better watch out or the kids he's chaperoning might actually lift a finger." The leader of the guards chimed sarcastically as he started laughing.

"I thought we had real intruders for once-gah..." One of the weaker guard's arms had suddenly been twisted behind his back. Both Mercury and Roman slowly turned their heads toward Emerald and raised a brow.

"Don't look at me guys, I can only manipulate sensory information! Sights? Sounds? Smells? Easy peasy, actual freaking telepathy? Get Neapolitan to do it." Emerald stated half annoyed, she had extremely strict limits on doing that too unless she wanted a migraine or worse. One person was hard enough, she was pretty sure this many would cause her to black out.

It wasn't much longer before Neo had reappeared, she was the one twisting the guard's arm. Before the guards could train their sights on her she vanished again and decided to attack one of the others. Again and again, to the point where her fighting style seemed more like an elaborate dance. Though the dance itself wasn't likely to be seen too often at a ballroom hall; a nightclub might be a better place.

"Is she always so...brutal?" Emerald winced as she watched the last guard take a tumble over Neo's shoulder. He'd be feeling that in the morning.

"You should see her in a bad mood kiddo," Torchwick stated seriously with a grin. "Put your toys away Neo, we've got actual business to attend to." He finished with a shrug as he returned his cane to its default state.

"Hmph. Always take my fun." Neo signed as she finished knocking out the last of the guards.

"Remind me never to piss you off, like...ever." Mercury stared blankly at the woman, noticing her two-colored irises as he did. She'd never really locked eyes with him, when she did it was a bit creepy. As an assassin in training he could feel the malice in that innocent seeming grin.

"Can do!" Neo signed with a snarky grin. Younger kids were a pain to work with but they could be amusing once in a while. Her work didn't allow her to make or rely on friends, plaything was the usual label for most people with potential. "Also. Not Telepathy, illusionist!" She added as she wrote the words with her finger onto the air.

The troublesome four made their way through the compound they had broken into. The deeper they got into it the more layers of security they had to bypass, at one point they had to resort to crawling through the air vents. Either way, they eventually reached the deepest part of the compound which was loaded with several computer servers. Surely they would find what they were tasked to retrieve in this part of the compound.

"Yooho, anyone out there?" The group jumped when the perky voice suddenly rang out.

"That's...weird, there's nobody in here but us," Emerald was thinking out loud, though she suspected the others had about the same reaction.

"No body is right, I'm all stuck in a jar! Well not really a jar, maybe...canister? Oh! Are you friends, I want those! Friends play games right? Let's do that! Games are fun!" The voice obviously had a source, since the speakers in the room were producing it.

"That would depend on the kind of game since we're sorta in a rush." Torchwick was at least partially amused as he said it, they weren't in a big rush but this sounded like it might get annoying.

"You guys can roam around like idiots and I'll tell you if you're hot or cold." The computerized voice explained in a matter of fact way.

The group nodded and decided to play that little game, hoping they would be lead straight to their target. They weren't even entirely sure what they were looking for since Hazel said they'd know it when they see it. Following along with the game eventually lead the group to the center of the compound with a large laboratory held within. Judging from the equipment and containment chambers it was some kind of genetics lab. The voice had led them to a large steel container with several layers of reinforcement. Oddly enough all of the security measures were aimed at keeping what was inside the container from getting out. The group jumped in surprise when an unidentifiable Grimm roar bellowed loud enough to hear it for miles.

"Let. Us. Out. Hungry!" It was very beastly, and not digital at all.

"Uh, what in the world was that?" Emerald barely dodged away from the container quickly enough to avoid the large set of bone claws. They were definitely the claws of a Grimm, but she hadn't seen many with paws that human.

"Oh, just some accidental discovery Ignis made with his Grimm research. Something about simulating an incident that happened ages ago? I think it worked, sorta, I'm at the literally across from her by the way. " The digital voice chimed playfully as lights in the lab activated to reveal the server. It was some form of sealed chamber with a server built around it. Inside the glass window was a cylinder containing a constantly moving silver gel-like substance that pulsed with electricity on occasion.

"I think we definitely found what Hazel was looking for but which one is it?" Mercury gave both of the discoveries a glance, Hazel certainly didn't make it easy with the vague description.

"Probably me, theoretical emotion simulating software assistant...er...that is a little long winded isn't it?" The digital voice replied with shyness in its tone. The lights focused down on the chamber protecting the cylinder.

"Tessa?" Neo signed with a raised brow, she had heard of artificial intelligence before but never thought of anything like this.

"That's not a terrible idea ya know? Oh! Can my last name be Richter? Humans have those, and I'm at least supposed ta be human I think. But uh why are you guys here?" Tessa actually sounded a bit more human once they got closer to the server housing her core.

Emerald's jaw dropped, she wasn't into history in other departments but technology? She could probably put most biomechanics to shame if she bothered to try. She'd studied machine history nearly as long as she could walk. That not-very-subtle name drop was far more than coincidence. This Tessa thing was adapting to the situation as it was happening. Dr. Hazel wasn't too into Grimm, he had an insane mind for technology though, insane being a keyword.

"Ok, can we steal this thing before Emerald goes all geek mode on it?" Mercury wasn't at all interested in a job like this, breaking into the place was the only challenge.

"Stealing? Is that something interesting? What does that mean?" Tessa's curiosity was piqued at the mention of a new concept. She had a lot to learn about humans, especially since eventually she'd be as close to human as a machine could get.

"It means that you're our property now, and you're going on a little trip with us." Torchwick was somewhat amused by the childlike personality. Though the fact that it was childlike made this quite a bit easier.

"Hey! I'm not a property, I'm a person! You're like Tobi, treating me like a...thing! You have a boss right? I wanna word with em. Oh but uh, gimme outta here first, it's booooring." Tessa had just met this man and he already annoyed her. Judging from how the security guards treated him he didn't seem all that dangerous.

"Pff-" Neo literally had to bite her tongue to stop herself from laughing. She had to maintain her cover at all costs.

-[Vale Airship Docks: Day Before the entrance exam]-

"Why am I the only one waiting for a flight to Beacon?" Tobi questioned dryly as he activated the communicator in his arm. "And who's responsible for adding a two-way radio to my arm?" He had discovered it while doing part of the routine check on the flight here. The device was active, and a number of other circuits and functions were added that didn't seem to have firmware yet.

"That would be my slightly-too-creative roommate; don't worry, she didn't rewire too much of the actual hardware. Although I'm pretty sure she only installed those upgrades cause' you were unconscious at the time and she couldn't resist." It was a girl's voice on the other end of the radio, one he hadn't heard yet during his stay in Atlas.

"Chrome! Don't rat me out like that! Yesh, what am I gonna do with you? Er, guilty as charged; sometimes once I start tinkering with electronics I just can't help my inventor's intuition." Naya seemed a lot less nervous around whomever this friend of hers was.

"Got any other features you just couldn't help installing? And why am I not on the private airship with the two of you?" Tobi wasn't really in any mood for surprises. He naturally wasn't in any sort of mood at all, it was just how he was.

"Only like four; oh but they're mostly for your arm. And it's cause Chrome gets nervous in big crowds. And when she gets nervous she kinda...grows, or shrinks, or panics." Naya sort of wanted to spoil the surprise but for now she figured she'd somehow keep his interest piqued.

Tobi felt his mechanical arm twitch slightly as the tinkerer mentioned that. Not only had she added new features, she neglected both telling him and explaining how they worked. The obvious answer was that none of the additional features were fully usable yet. He wasn't amused, but he could test things out the next time he ran into one of those creatures. As he admired the construction of the airship docks he found himself people watching. He saw people that clearly belonged to different cultures, something he never got a chance to do back in his time. There definitely seemed to be some social cliques forming already, chances were that would only escalate once they got to Beacon. He had been briefed on how things were handled at the academies, which meant he would need to work on teamwork.

One thing he never could get used to was being around so many new people. This Chrome person Naya was with had the right of it, crowds were a huge pain. If only he had inherited his mother's open heart he might be tempted to interact with others. There were honestly too many colors and sounds for his liking, compared to the sterile labs he was used to. At least the three years of schooling would give him time to get used to all the faces, potentially even names.

"It's rude to stand behind someone and stare you know?" Tobi stated bluntly as he turned around to face someone behind him. Technically they were in line to get aboard the ship, but he was sure people watching was a bit different than a steely glare regardless of the person giving it.

"Pot, meet Kettle." The young lady signed, Tobi couldn't guess her age from her build but she certainly looked the part.

Tobi uncrossed his arms. "So she has heterochromia...is a mute and doesn't pull her punches. And has interesting taste in hair dye and apparel." The outfit was just a white vest with neon trim, the vest itself leaving her middriff exposed. He wanted to admire the two tone irises, but the almost too snug vest and tri-colored locks were distracting. "Not to offend but my sign language is...quite rusty. You wouldn't happen to have a pen and notepad on you would you?" Tobi added dryly, with the most puzzled look he could give her.

"Pen and paper, in what decade? I'll cheat since you were stupid enough to ask." Judging from his step backward, he'd never seen illusionist writing before. "You don't strike me as the nosey type. Unfortunately it's my job to be nosey about you. So three questions; who do you work for, why do I care, and a two way radio in your ARM, seriously? Also ow, my hair is natural kid." Neo wasn't happy using her illusions for something so simple, much less on someone so simple. However he at least admitted he was bad at reading sign language, few people did that so bluntly. Though it was tricky to write the letters that quickly it was an efficient way of communicating.

"Natural? That's a joke I don't plan on laughing at." Tobi had to admit Remnant had odd ideas with genetics, hell he was a prime example. "You care because your boss ordered you to. I work for myself. And frankly it was installed without my permission." Her physique was fit for her size, his muscles tensed up a bit. "I'd like to know who's so concerned about me. The few that would care would be avid historians and someone who'd be long gone by now." She was already somewhat aggressive, he wasn't in the mood to fight. So he figured he'd answer her bluntly. "To be honest your talent would be wasted on me." He added crossing his arms, not sure if she would fight him in a spot like this.

"A loner? Cute, she was worried for nothing then. Also no need to be so tense kid, I'm just sizing you up for later." So Neo had almost flown out here for no reason. Oh well, there were still other jobs to do. "Also...explain how I would be wasted on you." That bit did annoy her, he said it so plainly with so little enthusiasm behind it.

"She who?" He had to wonder, but half of the population was female so that did little to narrow down the suspect. "I don't need to know my opponent to know my own limits. And at the moment you're far above them." Tobi's response was cold, he knew full well of his limitations. And they were what resulted in the whole time travel thing, to begin with.

"At...the moment? You do realize who you're talking to?" Neo raised a brow, he was either really confident or really stupid, potentially both. Then again she couldn't even get a read on his Semblance or Aura skills, the former probably hadn't awakened yet but the latter should be obvious standing a few feet away from someone.

"Yup a mute lass who thinks she's untouchable because of her Semblance. A word of caution miss; even semblances and aura have limits. I honestly can't get a read on you which is why I think whatever talents you have are wasted on pointless jobs." Tobi was entirely serious, he could see it in her eyes. He'd seen many a gifted Semblance user go south, some past the point of no return because of their skill.

"Ow kid you certainly don't pull punches yourself," Neo was moderately impressed, the kid already had an inkling of her skill level. "Just don't be cocky cause of your robo arm, you realize literally anyone with the credits for it has that level of tech now right?" She actually had a bit of curiosity, she couldn't tell if he was arrogant or stupid, likely both.

Tobi shrugged his shoulders. "This is true. Anyhow I do have a flight to catch. And stop calling me kid. I am Tobi...no more and no less." He figured that it had been long enough for the scanners in his arm to get a good bit of data about her abilities.

Tobi didn't know what to make of the illusionist mute as he boarded his flight. On one hand, she did have a point but otherwise, he was sure she was trying to get a read on how useful he'd be. There was a certain glint in her eyes that he both liked and hated, that spark of ideas reminded him of his mother. She was fairly skilled in her field and was all about trusting her instinct and being brazen enough to follow through. The part he hated reminded him of his father, a man at the top of his field but challenged on other fronts that he didn't fully understand. Tobi somehow landed in the middle of the pair, and that bugged him just a bit. Pleasing them both was tiring, but favoring one would send the other on a tirade. At some point, the overdrive technology was developed, and somehow they reached a moniker of peace. Everything past that point was a bit fuzzy and attempting to recall it only made his head ache.

"Is that a freaking robot-arm?!" The voice couldn't be any more shrill, it'd potentially shatter the glass windows on the airship. Not so much the tone, just the energy, it was far too much for a sixteen-year-old soon to be schoolmate.

Tobi finished up replacing the dust crystals. "No. It's my completely boring organic arm." Tobi uttered with his best attempt at sarcasm. "I fail to understand the excitement. It's just a prosthetic limb." He did fail to understand the excitement, until he got a good look at his enthralled inquisitor.

She was shorter than Naya, and wore a black skirt with red trim, the corset was the same color. The darker tones were offset by the silver bullets on her ammo belt and the white cotton shirt. The overly long scarf seemed like it had been shredded. The most notable thing about her were her silver eyes, even in his time those were rare. The way they lit up with more excitement than her small frame could contain annoyed him a bit. High energy people were difficult to communicate with, he knew he'd run into Brownens niece eventually but this soon was unlucky. He had little time to mentally prepare for her childlike nature. The drunkard at least had the courtesy to warn him of her enthusiasm before the flight to vale.

"Of course it's not boring! It's a Robot arm! Robot. Arm." She emphasized her statement as if Tobi didn't understand. "Can it shock people, do you have a rocket fist, sound cannon, laser cannon? Extendo arm?" Honestly Naya would have a difficult time competing with this technophile, it was almost amusing.

"Prosthetic. Limb." Tobi was entirely disinterested in humoring her. "If you must know what features it has. No, No, working on it, and an electromagnetic rail cannon. Just because it does cool things does not make it cool to have; it comes with it's own problems." Tobi finished with a sigh, he was already starting to get a headache.

"Ruby, you're embarrassing me...let's leave our obviously obviously busy potential classmate to his repairs. Sorry, ya know...sisters, first day at a new school and way too many cookies for breakfast." The tall blonde in a yellow biker ish tank top had saved him from yet another question.

"Yes sisters are indeed a handful. Especially when you're busy doing routine work on your prosthetics." He did what he could to hide the stress building in his mind. The blonde was likely more than a handful too, but even he wasn't stupid enough to say that outloud.

"So...your legs too right?" The blonde spoke up abruptly after eying him with scrutiny for a second.

Tobi sighed. "You can tell? At a glance?" He crossed his arms and gave her a stern look, he was certain his hologram projectors were completely functional.

"Course I can! Any grease monkey worth their salt can spot these things, plus your movements are so stiff you're practically robotic. Name's Yang, if you ever need an emergency tune up." Yang offered a hand to the potential classmate.

"Thanks...I think. You may address me as Tobi." He froze when she thrust her hand forward, was this one sizing him up too? "Is this the part where I shake your hand?" He wasn't sure what her plan was, and her sibling hadn't bothered with such a gesture.

"Your legs too? That. Is. Awesome! Do they have jet boots, space jump, super speed?"

Yang forced a smile. "One second." She paused a moment and bonked her sibling lightly to get her attention. "Ruby?" She stated with a bit of stress in her tone.

"Present!" Ruby stood at attention, eagerly awaiting what Yang was about to say.

"Guess what time it is?" Yang used one hand to grab her gently by the scarf.

"Uh oh-retreeet." She started to run away, un-effectively before Yang had her in a grapple lock.

Tobi adjusted his glasses. "Peculiar..." He noticed a significant change in Yang's demeanor, if only for a second.

"That's right-sister noogie time! Comere you!" Yang had picked Ruby up off the ground, at this point Ruby's legs were literally a blur.

"Help! Oh no, sister noogie...draining powers, tell Zwei I loved him..." Ruby was clearly faking passing out, Yang was not rubbing her head hard enough to even mess up her hair.

"Feel like behaving now?" Yang chimed with an almost sinister tone as she placed Ruby back down.

"Fine," Ruby squirmed out of her sister's arms. "But you owe me two cupcakes later...with frosting!" She pretended to sulk on the way back to her seat and unfolded her weapon to begin tuning it.

Tobi tilted his head. "What exactly...was all that?" He blinked as he collected his thoughts, there were more questions than answers about that whole interaction.

The blonde smirked, "You seriously don't know what sisterly bonding is?" She seemed both inwardly amused and obviously doubtful of his question.

Tobi had to take a moment to find the right way to phrase it without it sounding absurd. In truth he really didn't know that phrase; he had always been somewhat of a loner. He could tell she was far more willing to humor him at any rate. Either out of curiosity or for the sake of an interesting story to tell. Either way, her intrigue seemed harmless enough, and he figured he'd only encounter her once.

"Not...that." Tobi put a hand to his chin. "Before you administered your...punishment, you seemed apprehensive. During and after said punishment your demeanor changed completely. I wish to know how you did...that." He was immensely curious, apparently changing ones mood on the fly was like flicking a switch. It had always vexed him that he couldn't perform this change of emotion, much less express it.

Yang blinked. "Dude, how much of a dead fish are you?" She paused and hummed in thought. "I guess I just decided I gotta embrace the big sister thing more. Sometimes I forget how important it is. Wait...you meant the actual switching of emotion? It's just...instinctive, you...know what to do in your heart and your mind reacts...I think. Like yeah it sucks when you lose to a hard boss but breaking the controller won't help-what?" She stopped when Tobi raised a hand to stop her talking, at least he didn't actually cover her mouth or something.

"Heart? Instinct?" Tobi crossed his arms. "These things are quite foreign to me. Yet you explain them with little effort. Is emotion really so...simple...so...primal? Either way..." He paused and glanced toward Ruby. "I can't be paid to give a fuck but...even I know the healing potential of an open ear." He gave her a soft grin. "I too have...complicated issues with a sibling, if you ever want to talk." He hoped that he wasn't being too blunt. Honestly he was curious if anyone in the family knew the significance of those eyes. He knew for sure their significance, due to a childhood acquaintance having them.

"The emotionally stunted stoic wants to console me on family matters," The blonde shrugged and put a hand on her hip. "Thanks but I'll pass, it's a minor thing at worst. That's still a cool arm though, almost makes me wish I could use one." She was about to introduce herself, but the so-called sister had squealed again. Apparently, they could see Beacon from this location.

"My emotion is...stunted? An odd statement, what on earth do you-and she's gone." Tobi sighed, this is why he always hesitated to converse with females. Their personalities were so varied yet could be grouped into a formulaic pattern of sorts, not that there was anything wrong with that.

-Exam Day-

There were few ways to explain the odd sensation Tobi was currently having, but Tobi was certain the proper word was anxiety. The charismatic dean of Beacon had him and a large group of students standing at the edge of a large cliff. Each student was standing on a decently sized metal plate, and one would certainly notice a glint in his eyes. Something about that man got Tobi ever so slightly perturbed, though he couldn't place why.

"Today you all will be surveying the Emerald forest. There are some old ruins at the center that I would like you all to find...if you survive." Ozpin explained briefly as the long line plates began launching the students a fair distance into the air.

"Just...one question, about your cane?" Tobi crossed his arms, he could swear he'd seen that cane before. It was a fine wooden cane with a rather large emerald at the top, and it had some kind of mechanism inside it by the look of the metal lever.

"You can field all questions to me after the exam Tobi. You aren't scared are you?" Ozpin had a smug look on his face as he spoke, his demeanor depicted a man who knew more than he lead on.

"This exam of yours...what purpose does it-" Tobi jumped upward as he sensed danger, narrowly avoiding being launched. "And you intended to fling us off the cliff...why?" He was relieved that the pressure plate only fired once, the very thought of dealing with flight out of his control gave him an odd sensation.

Ozpin grinned as he leaned on his cane. "What, you haven't heard of a lioness throwing her cubs off a cliff? Same principals really." He paused and watched Tobi dodge the platforms attempt to launch him. "My, your reflexes haven't aged a day. Unfortunately...you still have to jump off the cliff like the rest of the students." The old man seemed inwardly amused at Tobi's behavior as he spoke.

"Fine," Tobi stated with frustration. "But you owe me answers old man, I dislike how you speak to me as if we were old friends." He finished before getting a running start and leaping of the cliff with all his might.

Glynda gave her superior a curious look. "Do you...know that boy sir?" She was mostly thinking out-loud at this point.

Ozpin smiled and shrugged. "It's a long and...complicated story Glynda. It's a shame he didn't recognize me, although...he would have even more complicated questions either way." He had to admit that he was a bit disappointed, it would have been amusing to speak with an old friend.

"Not to be blunt Ozpin but." Glynda sighed with frustration. "Everything with you is long, and complicated." She knew he was always hiding secrets, even among his circle of friends whom he trusted dearly.

By the time Tobi realized he had jumped a bit further than intended, he barely manage to plant himself squarely on a tree branch. Before he had a chance to get smug, that tree branch cracked and then broke. He did what he could to avoid hitting branches on the way down, but a few did manage to slow his decent enough that he could land with a bit less damage than expected. He had made the mistake of miscalculating his weight distribution, which stung more than the fall itself. After wincing in pain for a few moments he shook it off and stood up.

"That cane...why does it make my skin crawl? I'm certain it's the first time I've seen it since I've awakened." Tobi paused and gathered his bearings, before letting out a sigh. "I must be overthinking it, that individual would be long dead by now. That cane was one of a kind, could it be a reproduction?" He tapped his foot on the ground as he thought about it, then decided to move onward.

He had to assume that the ruins were at the thickest and deepest section of the forest. And that the cliff face was facing that general direction. Ozpin did want the students to find them, to retrieve some important trinket, so that had to be the logic behind it. As he walked, he got the sensation he was being followed. The more he tried to ignore it, the more his mind wondered. And if he tried to address it with common causes, his imagination took hold. Tobi was not at all a social person, but he preferred minor annoyances over absolute loneliness. He wasn't much of a prideful person, but he had to swallow what little he had. At least for the time being, he was experiencing fear.

Tobi's organic hand twitched. "Coward! Reveal yourself at once." He barked at some rustling bushes, he did not do well under pressure like this.

"Gao, Gao." An odd sound for an animal to make, it was almost...cute?

"Make note. I may be afrade, but I am no coward. I realize that's backward logic but if you wish to fight me...do so like a man." Tobi wasn't trying to hide his fear, he was hoping to intimidate his predator with.

"Gao, Gao. Nope, can't fight like a man." Red lights pierced through the shrubbery, what little english that was there was quite broken.

"You are...some manner of beast then?" Tobi was ready to use his arm canon, if only he could get a solid beat on his target.

The eyes were tricky to follow, and he didn't like how they faded in and out of sight. There were clear signs of movement, bush to bush, then to a tree and back to the ground. Whatever this being was, they were too nimble for his liking. By the time he had his arm canon at the ready, he'd lost sight of the beast. It infuriated him, it was intelligent enough to speak, so it was also intelligent enough to hunt. Before he had time to react, he was tackled from behind. And he was tackled with enough force that the tumbling he took eventually ended with him being pinned. His attacker was female, and quite heavy, it had to be mostly muscle since she didn't look too overweight for her height.

"Fooled you, fooled you, ya thought she was a Grimm!" The girl chimed playfully pressing her weight down on her prey. "Uwha? Hey! Hey! Hands off!" Her prey clearly had no qualms against throwing her off of him, the fact that he thought to use her waist as leverage was surprising though.

Tobi dusted himself off as he stood. "Tch...worried over nothing." He crossed his arms and gave the girl a stern glare. "And why the hell would you impersonate a grim? People hunt those! It's literally a profession." He was far from pleased, he'd wasted energy over some Faunus girl playing in the woods.

To put it in a single word, she was scraggly. She had a few inches over him, and her body was about as masculine as someone without any kind of abdominal muscle could be. Her blue jeans and white tank top were a bit worse for wear, a bit small for her too since the shirt snugly wrapped around her tiny chest. The girl was a wolf Faunus, judging from the sharp canines along with her tail and ears. What was visible of her tan skin was covered in bits of dirt, as were her clothes. She bore thin, red markings around her red eyes, similar to what you would see on a grimm. Her messy shoulder length hair had a few streaks of red as well, clearly she was in need of a bath...or four. Tobi was hesitant to spend more time with the odd wild child than he had to, she looked like the clingy type.

"Tenebres knows! She will be studying them greatly, become noble hunter and bring pride to pack. She has been studying in these woods for many moons! She was also seeking this...shower thing, but does not know of what it looks like. What is strange mettle boot man doing in woods? Very dark, very dangerous woods...not safe for...most people." Tenebres hadn't really met people her own age before, she was curious about their smell.

Tobi sighed. "I am seeking the center of these woods. A Stupid, smug man ordered me to find them as part of some grand test. I too will become a hunter...for no reason. Even if it means tutelage of people who work for that man. His mere presence makes my skin crawl and my head hurt. I have no idea why though." He figured that was enough to sate her curiosity, he couldn't stand the smell. "Could you not...simply bathe in the river?" He crossed his arms as he asked, surely she knew about that much at least.

"Incorrect! One does not become hunter for no reason!" Tenebres exclaimed with a serious expression on her face. "Wait, stupid? Smug?" She paused and approached Tobi's personal space. "Yay high? Fancy Cane? Green ish hair? Equally stupid looking witch lady by his side?" She completely ignored the comment about bathing in the river.

"I don't know if she was a witch but...yes? What does it mean to you?" Tobi raised a brow, and took a step back. She was oddly enthusiastic about a man she likely had never met before. "And for the record, I simply mean I have no 'reason' at the moment. Many things I do because I have the ability to choose to do them. It doesn't mean I won't come up with some reason while at Beacon academy though. Hell, I fully expect my time at the academy to be the root cause of my reason to become a hunter." He was inwardly curious about this girl at this point, it seemed to be happening a bit too much for his liking lately.

"Beacon? Mrgrger!" Tenebres clinched her fist and teeth, and her eyes glowed bright red. Of course it had to be that man, that she had no idea why she hated him so.

"Are you well? Your eyes are glowing." Tobi tapped his foot as he spoke, he was getting tired of standing in one place. "You know these woods correct? I prefer to work alone. But a guide would be useful in this situation." He did wonder how long he could bear the smell, though at least he didn't have Faunus senses.

"Eep! Uh, you didn't see that! Must be imagination! Umm...please don't tell mother, mum is very scary." Tenebres took a moment to shake off the anger. "Tenebres prefers to work alone also! Her nose tingles when too many others are near. But...we could...work alone...together?" She attempted to give him a cute puppy dog face.

Tobi sighed. "I do not know your mother. If I did I think she'd be concerned about glowing red eyes." He stated bluntly as he shrugged his shoulders. "This is why females trouble me. Fine, lead the way oh wise lady of the forest. Preferably before I change my mind about you." This girl was all over the place, she must've had a rough upbringing to be out in these woods alone on her own accord.

"Nope! Mother knows! Mother expects the glowing! But...it's very scary reason why. She was so proud, but scary spooky grin as she said it!" Tenebres didn't feel as shy around this person for some reason. "I mean, mum is always kinda scary, but never around me. But that's enough of that topic, to the center of the woods!" She figured that wasn't enough information to clue him in, she just wanted to get this job over-with.

Tobi couldn't help but be amused at how Tenebres moved. Every act was unconsciously driven, for instance she took great care to not snap a twig under her foot with every other step. Her ears were alert and ready, tilting toward even the softest sound. More than that she was using a bone dagger to mark trees as she passed them by every once in a while. Eventually it became a bit of a game to guess what survivalist behavior tick would come up next. She was dedicated to her craft at any rate, more than ready for beacon even without formal education.

He tapped her lightly on the shoulder. "Tenebres. Quiet. Our prey will elude us." Tobi had heard a familiar voice just barely within earshot. To be fair the shriek was just long enough to be caught.

"Prey? What are we hunting? Frozen snake?" Tenebres said as her eyes lit up, she pointed in the direction of a large ice sculpture that was several feet high.

"Information. Silly beast girl." Tobi stated patting her on the head, there was no way that ice structure was natural in this heat.

"Information is not prey. Stupid boy." Tenebres hunched forward in disappointment, slowing her walk and getting low to the ground anyway.

Tobi laughed. "That depends on who you're asking." He stated quietly moving into a large shrub with caution. "You'd be surprised how much certain circles would pay for good intel." He never liked being a fly on the wall for his old man, that didn't stop him from using those skills for his own gain.

Sure enough, the root cause of that snake like structure of ice was Naya, whom he'd met before. The timid tinkerer must've used it to break both her fall and that of her companion. Both girls seemed exhausted from the jump, but they were currently displaying different demeanors entirely.

"Ugh! Why did I sign up for this again? Chrome...where...are you going?" Naya was on her back, leaning upward to speak to her companion.

"Duh! Back to those cliffs! I wanna try those launch pads at an even higher setting. Ya think the professor will mind if I tinker with em?" Chrome rubbed her hands in a sinister manner as she spoke.

Chrome was quite tall, she stood at least six feet and ten inches, not counting her fox ears. Tobi didn't typically get distracted by such features, but her waistline and bustline were exemplary compared to Naya. She was more masculine than Tenebres and her skin seemed like it was given a lot of care. Her outfit was a traditional mechanic's uniform similar to Naya, barring the more elaborate placement of the pockets for tools. The white tank top was...lived in to say the least, the oil blotches looked permanent. Her golden fox tail was long and fluffy, but still came to a pretty fine tip. Her blonde hair went down past her shoulders, and the highlights were light brown. Both Naya and Chrome had charm on opposite ends of the spectrum. And honestly even at gunpoint Tobi knew he would have a hard time choosing one over the other.

"For crying out-honestly your thrill seeking is about the only thing that would drown out your relentless libido!" Naya gave up trying to reason with her companion a long time ago. "Seriously do you ever stop and listen to what comes out of your mouth sometimes?" She wasn't sure if she would leave the lab much if not for Chrome, but she was pretty insane on occasion.

"Right? I totally shoulda been a rabbit Faunus! Instead I got stuck with boring fox ears~" Chrome chimed with amusement in her tone, at least then her codename would've made sense.

"For the last time that's not how the gene therapy works!" Naya stated with a groan as she sat up , dusting herself off before standing up. "Besides that, you know the reason we're not in Atlas prison right now right? Shouldn't we be taking this test a bit more seriously?" She asked as she crossed her arms, hoping that her partner hadn't forgotten that.

"Gene...therapy?" Tobi put a hand to his chin, that got him curious.

"Hey. What's a libido?" Tenebres blinked as she said it, thankfully under her breath.

"A part of the brain that controls certain...hormones." Tobi stated quietly as he shook his head.

"Does new friend have one?~" Tenebres asked her new friend as her tail wagged in excitement.

"Contrary to...popular opinion, yes. And Shh!" Tobi figured she wasn't smart enough to decipher sarcasm. Or that if she was, she'd know the implications of his statement well enough.

"Yeah yeah. Big, dumb military man saved our butts because a nutty lab rat wanted some extra hands." Chrome paused as her ears moved on their own. "Huh, thought I heard somethin. And course I'm taking this test seriously, this is our big break yeah? Freedom from that head case like we've been pining for, and without busting out this time even! I'm just...not as serious as you are, like about everything." She finished as she stretched out her arms, she was about ready to explode from boredom.

Naya sighed. "That carefree attitude is what got us in hot water to begin with. And you know I hate being hot, so maybe think before opening your big mouth. Besides you've only been a Faunus for what, three years? You've got some growing to do before your stronger senses actually kick in." She was more annoyed at how laid back Chrome was than anything. Even back at the research center she never took actual tests seriously.

"I'm telling you I heard somethin!" Chrome stated with annoyance in her tone. "Maybe you just didn't hear it because it came from downwind or whatever." She finished as she crossed her arms, if only Naya was a bit more patient with her.

"Ugh...that's not how hearing works, you're thinking of smell! But fine, let's test your stupid theory then and see if you did hear something." Naya picked up a stick and angled her shot before giving it a good toss into the distance downwind. "You...were thinking of chasing the stick weren't you?" She asked as she watched Chrome's thousand yard stare into the direction the stick went.

"No! Well...maybe a little...heh." Chrome stated sarcastically, she had to fake the sarcasm since Naya would've been furious if she was being honest.

"Ow! Tenebres will crush weak twig!" Tenebres bit her tongue when that silly twig hit her on the head.

Chrome cracked her knuckles. "Told ya! Hands and eyes where I can see em!" She chimed with enthusiasm as she took a fighting stance.

"Wait! Wait! No shooting! Tenebres is unarmed!" Tenebres rushed to her feet and into the clearing.

"Lier. You're carrying a bone hunting knife..." Tobi decided to enter the clearing as well to avoid further hostile behavior.

"Hunting knife is for cooking and trail cutting! Bare hands are preferred and much better for hunting prey. Also less ugly to watch most of the time!" Tenebres replied playfully with her tail wagging, she loved a good challenge.

Chrome smirked. "Scrappy little pipsqueak, I like it. As for you, you were spying on us...why?" She asked curiously as she crossed her arms, she didn't like spies that didn't involve laser watches and fast cars.

"Well..." Tobi paused for a moment. "I don't spend much time around females. I thought it'd be prudent to research your natural behavior around Naya first. That and I'm significantly more nervous about my inability to comprehend emotion around females my own age." It was the truth, and he really had no other way to word it.

"Research you call it? You can't just you know...talk to us? Like a normal person?" Chrome stated bluntly as she tapped her foot on the ground, this guy was annoying her more the more he spoke.

"I wish I was." Tobi said it under his breath. "Clearly I can't change my mistake or your opinion. What I can promise is that it won't happen again. Let us say, old habits die hard. I...beg your forgiveness." He answered with a slight bow of respect, even if she clearly didn't want it.

Naya sighed. "Please stop arguing, you're making me edgy. That can be...bad. Well, since we found eachother...why don't we...take the test together?" She was already exhausted from using her semblance to break her and Chrome's fall earlier. She didn't need domestic violence stressing her out as well.

"Hmm? I'd almost want to see this...edgy side." Tobi stated bluntly with a small smirk on his face, that actually sounded interesting.

Chrome turned pale as her ears perked up. "Uh...no, no you really do not want to see that!" She spat it out so quickly she bit her tongue.

"What? It's not...that bad...really," Naya muttered a bit bashfully as she tapped a toe on the ground while thinking about it.

"It most certainly *is* that bad Naya. We had to hypnotize you with a damn safety word to control it! Remember? Wrecking air carriers, fifty something injured, two found dead from shock?" Chrome really wasn't eager to go through something like that again, especially not for meager curiosity.

"That was just the one time! I've gotten better...mostly...I think. I mean, fighting games are fun, and great for coping! I uh...think I'm...mostly in control...kind of." Naya was starting to get nervous now, it really was quite bad. Just the one time, she was pretty sure someone stole security footage to make a fighting game character out of it. "You...believe me...right?" She turned toward the new girl and forced a big, hopeful smile.

Tenebres gave Naya a thousand yard stare. "Tenebres...has no comment. She has seen many beasts, all shapes and sizes. Timid little leaf girl is hiding something dark...something that might even make mum flinch." The feline did seem innocent, but those eyes and the fox's reaction told a different story.

"Whomever this mummy dearest is, she certainly sounds daring." Tobi was thinking out-loud at this point, trying to keep from pondering other distractions.

Naya sighed. "Ugh! Fine! Let's just head to the center of the woods and retrieve this artifact or whatever for the dean. Maybe barbaric wolf child will be able to lead us there." Naya had to admit she was a bit annoyed. She really only was that bad the one time, maybe.

Tobi put a hand to his chin. "What makes you think it's an artifact we're after?" Tobi was thinking out-loud, but the question did come to mind immediately as she said it.

"He's old, creepy...and he's sending wayward teenagers on an epic journey for their first trial. Of course it's an artifact!" Naya didn't have any proof, but she'd read these kinds of stories too many times for it to not be true.

Tobi sighed in defeat, clearly Naya read too many fiction novels or comics. Then again if Ozpin was anything like the old man he knew it was a plausibility at minimum. While he found interacting with the three females mildly entertaining, he wanted to get this trial over-with. He barely had any rest anticipating the test itself the night before and was a bit tired.

"Okay! Let us walk...this way! Tenebres smells many smells of human smells. Likely where the other students are, currently." Tenebres noted several Grimm trails heading in that direction too, but the less they knew about those the better.

It didn't take terribly long for Tobi to feel lost, foraging in the woods was clearly not his strong point. Thankfully the small group had a talented tracker in the party, though that didn't shorten their time together. Honestly the idle chatter of females was near intolerable, curious in nature but not enough to suffer through it. Honestly he just wanted the day to end so he could fret about who he'd be paired with.

"Chrome, we're in a forest we know nothing about full of deadly Grimm, is now really the time to be thinking about which way you're gonna...swing?" Naya couldn't help but feel annoyed, Chrome brought the topic up just about every time she got dumped.

"Yeah, I don't even know if we're gonna live past today so of course! But I get it, you guys just want me to be honest with myself right?" Chrome asked seriously as she crossed her arms, still uncertain where things were going to end up.

"No..." Tenebres, Tobi, and Naya spoke in unison, with the same dejected tone and expression.

"Ha! Fine, but because you didn't ask. I'm gonna bone my entire tea-tha...that's a big Ursa..." Chrome had bumped into Tobi since Tenebres had instructed the team to stop walking.

As the name implied, Ursa were similar in structure to the average bear. Aside from being quite a bit larger, several times stronger and far more territorial. This particular Ursa was larger still, and had a scar on it's eye. On top of that, almost it's entire body was plated with that bone-like material Grimm were known for having. Though it had several battle scars the beast was still breathing, which meant two things. Either the hunters set against it were fools, or it was a fair bit mightier than the average Ursa.

"Oh~ Alpha male, very very old one too! Thankfully it's hibernating, we can sneak past it if we're careful...and quiet, very, very quiet." Tenebres could tell this from a glance, going against something like that now would be suicide.

*snap*

Naya's face turned pink. "Ehehehe...oopsie?" Naya had stepped on a large branch, cracking it in two unexpectedly.

"Oops she says..." Tobi muttered in equal parts of amusement and annoyance.

The Ursa stirred from its slumber and slowly rose to it's feet with an impatient growl. It stood at least nine feet tall, and had the agency of mind to stretch its arms as it woke. It took a step forward, then a step back, smelling the air. Its eyes glowed a bright red, as it gained its footing it scratched its back.

"I know Chrome said it already..." Naya swallowed as she trailed off.

"But it bears repeating..." Tobi blinked when they gave him a raised brow. "What? I'm stoic so I can't be funny? Odd time to be picky." He crossed his arms as he spoke, he needed to cope with the rising danger somehow and even he knew laughter was good medicine.

"BIG Ursa, Nice Ursa? Not thirsty for human blood Ursa?" Tenebres chimed in with her tail wagging as she said it, hoping that it was in fact one of the rare sane Grimm she'd read about in books.

"You realize that last quirk only saves one of us right?" Chrome had little time for a reply from the others as she was knocked off her feet by a swipe of the Ursa's arm. The other three of course joined her, slamming into their own trees as a result.

Tobi briefly felt a sharp twinge of pain run up his right arm, that was never a great sign. While he was still reeling the other three had regained their composure. They all took their stances, with Chrome being the only one to draw a weapon, a simple bo staff. He sighed in frustration each time they ran up for their strikes on the beast, just about every time he had a good shot they got in the way. And the other times he tried to fire his whole arm briefly shorted, most likely due to the large scrape from the Ursa's claws. As the fight prolonged, Naya got more agitated while Chrome's strikes became sloppy and unfocused. Tenebres seemed to occasionally spend a moment or two just standing there, with her eyes glowing red as if in a trance. He had to wince any time his so called companions got knocked off their feet. At this point it wasn't looking good for their survival, they needed to function as a unit. He was about to signal them to group up before the Ursa swiped him again, while he was prepared this time, the landing was far from soft.

"Well...I'm officially out of ideas." Naya stated bluntly as she ran to help Tobi to his feet.

"And my arm is useless, and I have nothing too fancy in my legs. Since someone removed the speed boosting equipment." Tobi gave Naya an annoyed glare as he said it.

Chrome moaned in frustration. "Seriously? One Genius should be fine, with two we shouldn't even be sweating!" She couldn't help but feel the exhaustion of the others just from looking at them.

"Mrgrger...stupid Ursa too angry to listen! We only interrupted nap-time! Should be easy to say sorry!" Tenebres snapped as she cracked her knuckles, in her defense most Grimm were too angry to listen these days.

"Welp. We're Dead." Tobi crossed his arms as the Ursa slowly approached them.

"What?" All three girls sounded equally stupefied at Tobi's declaration.

"Unless we distract it while Chrome finds a way to pin it down and ice queen strikes its only vulnerable location with something sharp. But that would require cooperation, so...yeah, we're dead." Tobi added the last part to drive his point home, hoping the extra dose of sarcasm would get them focused again.

Tenebres's eyes glowed red briefly. "Um...mister Ursa says you should've said that the first time." She stated bashfully with her tail wagging, of course the thing wanted to talk now of all times.

"Everyone's a critic." Tobi responded with a shrug of his shoulders, he wasn't sure what to make of what Tenebres was capable of doing at the moment.

The small group of warriors didn't have much time to talk about a plan of attack, with the Ursa resuming it's assault. Tobi was impressed that the raging beast had the agency of mind to actually make a comment like that. Of course it could have just been Tenebres messing with them, nobody could actually communicate with a Grimm. It was a known fact that only a Grimm could understand others of it's kin, anything else would go against the laws of nature.

"I can pin em down for a fatal blow, but I need space and a distraction~ any takers?" Chrome stated playfully as she began to stretch her limbs.

"Chrome! No! You've never gone that big before." Naya almost had a heart attack running the calculations, the risks far outweighed the reward.

"Pfft. It's only a few extra feet, what could possibly go wrong?" Chrome jumped out of the way of the Ursa's strike as she spoke.

"Wardrobe malfunction, nerve damage, muscle stretching, tendon snapping, brain damage-" Naya wasn't even trying to fake it, there were all kinds of medical issues that could happen.

"Ugh forget I even asked, hey shrimp! Distraction? Please?" Chrome rolled her eyes as she continued to warm up her muscles while avoiding any strikes from their foe.

Tenebres's ears perked up. "Rodger! Hey! Uh...mister Ursa!" She called out to the beast from behind and lept onto its back. "Hey you! Uh, no attacking friends-hey!" She was caught off guard when the Ursa picked her up and stared her in the eyes. "Um? Pretty please?" Tenebres made a cute, harmless pose she could muster in her situation.

Tobi was surprised when the Ursa wrapped its hand around Tenebres's tiny frame, clenching her with utmost care. The beast took a moment to examine her, likely pondering her sanity if it did have a mind to do so. While it was doing so, Chrome had found the time to lodge her bo staff into a crack on its back plating thanks to Naya making it into a spear with her ice. This caused the beast to enter into a blind rage, proceeding to effortlessly toss Tenebres into the sky. From that height, and trajectory, any number of things could happen. Many broken bones being the least of her worries, the question was why did he care? He'd only known her a couple hours at most, and Naya and Chrome he'd only known for days. As soon as he went to take a step toward where Tenebres would land his legs locked up. He had too many calculations going on at once at the moment, was it really worth the risk?

"Dammit. Fuck logic! Move already!" Tobi silently hoped the three girls didn't hear him cave into emotion. "Phew...just...in time." He sighed with relief as he took his last step, the tiny girl had landed squarely in his open arms.

"Hehe! Our hero-wa...why'd you drop me?" Tenebres was going to hug him, but he let her fall to the ground on purpose instead.

"Regret." Tobi stated bluntly, his legs felt like jello at the moment and he was too annoyed to argue with her.

"Heh! Ding!" Tenebres chimed playfully as she stood up, thankfully Naya was distracting the Ursa at the moment.

"Ding? What do you mean, ding?" Tobi tilted his head to the side a bit, what was she going on about now?

"Dumb dumb, honesty...so you get a ding!" Tenebres replied with amusement as she poked him in the nose.

Tobi sighed. "I...see, I...think." He paused to clear his throat. "How are things going over there you two?" Tobi turned around to quite a sight, Chrome was now the same size as the Ursa and putting a decent grapple fight with it to boot.

"Just...fine...thanks...for...asking! Ha!" Chrome had managed to judo throw the Ursa over her shoulder and a few feet away. Of course the Ursa wasted no time stumbling back up and engaging in a shoulder grapple with Chrome.

"For crying out loud guys, this isn't a game!" Naya snapped in frustration as she charged toward Chrome. She then used her friend as a stepping stool and lept upward a bit. "Just die already!" She came down hard onto the Ursa's face, with her palms out.

Water trickled in from the air and close to her palms before sinking into the Ursa's eyes. Shortly afterward several ice spikes erupted from various vital points on the beasts body, nearly skewering Chrome in the process. The Ursa struggled as more and more ice spikes jutted out, before finally caving in and collapsing to the ground in a pile of black ash. Naya stood up slowly with her tail wagging, and she was audibly purring. The whole group was put off by her sudden outburst, something dangerous lurked inside her indeed.

"Right~ now let's get to those artifacts!" Naya chimed blissfully as she walked past Chrome, who gently grabbed her by the arm after returning to normal size.

"Hold it cowgirl, are we going to talk about what just happened or not?" Chrome stated with moderate concern in her tone as she said it.

"Talk about...what...exactly?" Naya asked innocently, still purring as she turned around to face her friend with a smile.

Chrome sighed. "You know damn well what missy. Out with it." Chrome crossed her arms and gave Naya a cold stare. She knew exactly what happened, but the group wouldn't be safe until she admitted it.

"Grimm don't 'die' until a fatal blow is struck. You deliberately avoided critical vital areas until the last minute...while still striking the other important parts. Basically you kept it alive...for fun...on purpose." Tobi didn't want to spell it out, the image was unsettling enough without realizing the danger behind Naya's normally timid nature.

"Okay fine! I...may have indulge a little. What's the big deal, we needed her to survive." Naya gave Chrome the puppy dog face as she admitted it outloud.

Tenebres blinked. "Indulge? Her? Tenebres is confused! Explain!" Tenebres snapped seriously as she scratched her head a little bit.

"How do I put this?" Chrome paused to think for a moment. "Look, we all have...tendencies right? Stupid ones? Parts of ourselves we want to 'lock away' and keep hidden?" She asked seriously as she thought about it some more. She was sure at least Tenebres would understand, Tobi not so much with what she knew of how his mind worked.

"You speak of the concept of...temptation? Understood. Everyone has skeletons in their closet, even myself. Though in my current state it's a pain to remember which ones. What does that have to do with Naya and...whatever just happened?" Now Tobi was curious, after all Naya was about the most harmless person he'd met until just now.

"Got it in one. Long story short, Naya kinda...broke one day, and since then she seems to think she awakened something. We have a safety word just in case, but what we saw today? Yeah that was the pg version of nasty Naya. Trust me, her fuse may be hard to light...but damn if she doesn't go boom like the rest of em. You'd never see Naya the same way again if you saw what she was really capable of." Chrome figured that was a suitable explanation, without going into too much detail of what happened that day.

Tobi shrugged. "My father became a different man entirely when he was angry, his strength and disposition changed in such a surreal way. I can't imagine going through that myself. I will make an effort to inform especially chronic idiots not to test Naya. As for you Tenebres, I have questions for you as well." He figured now would be the most prudent time since she had gotten answers to her bit of confusion.

"Questions? Tenebres has no idea what you would be referring to, heh." Tenebres uttered sheepishly as she tapped her fingers together like she was innocent. Honestly would it kill people to leave well enough alone and treat her like normal?

Chrome put a hand to her hip. "Don't 'heh' us missy. Let's start with your eyes glowing like a Grimm for one! Oh, and while we're at it does 'mister Ursa said blah blah blah' ring any bells?" Chrome had every intention of finding out what she needed to know, mostly to put her own mind at ease. She couldn't roll with the scrawny teen if she didn't understand her.

"Um? That? It's uh...normal, if you think about it. I mean, Faunus are part animal right? And Grimm are kiiiinda animals right? So if some stubborn dumb dumb scientist knew enough about genetics and Grimm...things wouldn't be that complicated! But...that would be pretty silly, Tenebres prefers not to think about it." Tenebres knew she was going way too fast, but she had to keep things concise in case she was being observed from the distance somehow.

"Slow down a second. What...exactly...are you saying Tenebres?" Naya blinked and stared at the young teen, she couldn't get any more vague if she tried.

"To be perfectly blunt you two." Tobi walked over to Tenebres and gave her a head pat. "Tenebres is saying she's a Grimm Faunus, Beowolf if I had to hazard a guess." He couldn't help but grin a little, as if he'd solved some grand mystery worth solving.

"Hehe! Ding!" Tenebres chimed with her tail wagging in excitement, finally someone smart who wasn't also really dumb.

"What? How?! Doesn't that go against the laws of-stop copying me!" Chrome and Naya spoke up at once, they were apparently on the same page in terms of thought processes.

"Simple. Have a Faunus father donate...seeds of life to a willing test subject who's had their DNA altered by Grimm somehow. Do that through science or otherwise, and nature does it's best to stay the course. The child of a Faunus will take traits from both mother and father and it's usually a lottery to see which species the child ends up with, most of the time." Tobi clenched a fist as he said that last bit, then he released it. There was no point in getting angry over things that could have been.

"Hehe, ding ding! Mister Tobi is super smar—oops." Tenebres retracted her hug as quickly as she gave it, she wasn't supposed to say his name yet. Granted she had only heard it a few times, when she was locked up for testing.

"So what, she can talk to Grimm like it's nothing cause she's part Grimm? Weird but I've definitely heard of weirder, there's rumors of a seemingly harmless lady who uses teabags as a weapon. What's the look for?" Chrome tilted her head to the side as she caught Tobi's glare, he didn't seem angry, just unimpressed.

Tobi sighed. "You can stop cheating on your measurements Chrome. A real man would love you for the who, not the what." He had wondered how she was so blessed, that curvature of hers was unnatural for her build.

"Gah! Dammit, I didn't think anyone would notice!" Chrome folded her arms underneath her chest. "What do ya got against a body like mine anyhow? Are you really so virgin that your puny genius brain can't handle a looker like me?" She stated with a huff as she stepped toward him, she had a hard time seeing why Naya took a shine this guy.

"Well if I must be blunt? Yes, I am virgin, so what? I intend to stay that way until I find someone truly special. The flesh is just a small, distracting bonus, the mind is what really intrigues me. So if you want my attention, stop with the flaunting and start using your brain. I simply think it's a waste of your semblance to put stress on those areas just for fun. Any man drawn in by such wiles isn't likely to be worth your time anyway." Oh yes, he meant every word of that, and didn't care how she reacted. It did feel good to speak his mind once in a while, despite possibly shoving his foot into his mouth while doing so.

"The fuck?" Chrome blinked and stared blankly at him. "Damn dude, I just wanted an opinion. Good luck finding miss right with a mouth like that. I can see why Naya took pity on you." She did her best to regain her composure, but that cold delivery really surprised her. Maybe she underestimated how sheltered he really was.

"Speaking of pity, he kind of has a point. You don't want to go pulling muscles before a battle even begins right? Remember that time you shrunk too much and you were sore for weeks?" Naya grinned and walked over to her partner. "For example~" She gave Chrome's mid back a good slap, not too hard, but hard enough to make a point.

"Jesus! Don't. Do. That!" Chrome practically jumped out of her skin. "If you were anyone else I'd literally be slapping you back, ow. Maybe I did overdo it this time, point taken." She cringed and rubbed her back for a bit as she said it.

"Can we go now? Don't you three, and as a result Tenebres have an important...thingy to find? Tenebres has idea where it might be, but she needs the three man comedy to be patient and follow her." Tenebres stated with her tail wagging, she liked this group, they were better than cable. If she was lucky she would get to spend more time with them.

"How do you know where it might be if you don't know what the 'thingy' is?" Tobi asked as he watched the Grimm Faunus start walking away.

"Because there's only one interesting place in these woods, and keep up! Tenebres won't slow down for slackers!" Tenebres replied with amusement in her tone as she waved for them to follow her.

The remaining three had little time to catch up as she was already barely within earshot. Once they did catch up with her they had to fend off some thankfully average Beowolf along the way. The further they went, the denser the forest became, the hike took long enough that the three girls partook in some idle chatter. As the sun began to set the howls of Grimm became more frequent, which made Tobi a bit uncomfortable. He would rather avoid further conflict if he could manage it.

"Man...looks like we missed most of the fun! Just look at this mess!" Naya was shocked at the damage whoever came through here last caused.

Aside from the stone ruins being well, ruined what was left of it made the circular structure seem elaborate. The pieces of stone pillars that remained had carvings of an unknown language on them. The platform itself was quite large, maybe around a hundred feet in diameter. Several pedestals littered the outer edge of the stone platform, many of which were empty. There were however, four chess pieces remaining on a few of them. A rook, a pawn, a bishop, and a knight were all that remained there, seemingly undamaged by the conflict.

"Tenebres will pick this one! It's the smallest so it's perfect for her!" Tenebres ran up and collected the pawn piece.

"I'll take the knight cause I'm the only one between me and Chrome who can use it right." Naya stated with a bit of curiosity in her tone as she retrieved her piece.

"I reckon I'll grab the bishop then, it's almost as clever as I am." Chrome really didn't have an excuse, she just wanted to join in on the fun.

Tobi shrugged at their antics. "No boulders have come to take us yet. Guess that leaves the rook for me. Shouldn't we be...concerned?" Tobi examine the small stone chess piece, it was far newer than any of the architecture here.

Their reasons for choosing their particular chess piece was mostly just poking fun at the challenge. It was an overdone trope and they all knew that, again complete with a wizened old man giving it to them to begin with. Thankfully they made it to the gathering location just in time to be the last ones there. Tobi had no idea what to expect of Beacon, he only knew to be slightly wary given Tenebres's reaction. What did the dean do to encourage her mother's ire, more importantly who was that mother. Last time he checked it was incredibly rare to survive the tests for merging Grimm genetics with humans.

* * *

The rest of the day was fairly hectic, getting adjusted to school grounds was surprisingly easy. Everything else, however, was nearly a train wreck, one he and his unlikely teammate barely survived. Whoever trained them was highly skilled, with both Naya and Chrome exempt from the dean's entry exam they barely edged out a victory. The team naming ceremony was troublesome too since apparently Chrome's sense of direction somehow landed her across town. He wasn't thrilled to have three of the opposite gender on his team, but he figured he could live with it. With the few hours he'd spent with his team, Tobi was certain of one thing. Deciphering why Ozpin placed his team of wildly different temperaments together was a waste of time. In the next few days, he had instead chosen to deliberate on another matter when he had the time alone. During his poor performance in sparring class, Glynda had pulled him aside. She mentioned something about telegraphing less and communicating more.

"Ah, what a peculiar gesture..." Tobi could only watch in mild bemusement, two of the girls in team RWBY had lept slightly into the air and thrust their palms together. Judging from their jubilant tone, it was some form of celebrating.

"Dude I don't know you but I doubt even apathetics haven't heard of a high-five." Yang's words were characteristically blunt, not so much rude or calculated, but blunt regardless.

Tobi tilted his head. "I see; so that is what a high five is? Might I pry a bit and find out what you were celebrating?" He couldn't have been any more curious if he tried, social interaction was so far removed from him that his only experience was at business meetings.

"Ozpin approved us for a mission to investigate some weird robot sightings lately. He said something about our natural chemistry helping our teamwork or something." Rose seemed significantly more calm than the first time he encountered her, probably from the first week at a new school buzz dying down.

"Weird robot sightings? Why would he trust you lot with such a task," That phrase brought back some memories and not good ones. "I hope you're not getting in over your heads if it's the bot I'm thinking of. Still, may I also congratulate you four on being chosen for said investigation?" From what Ironwood and Brownen had told him, Ozpin's decision-making skills weren't always the brightest. Tobi sort of hoped it was merely the old man recognizing their talent.

"Seriously, you're asking permission to congratulate us?" Yang seemed more amused than annoyed as she raised her hand. "I guess you can, but only with a high five." She replied with a bit of mischievousness in her tone.

Tobi wasn't certain, but Yang seemed to have a point in her statement. The whole point of congratulating someone was a reward or recognizing skill. It would be rather silly then, to have to ask the one being congratulated for permission to do so. As he raised his right hand up, memories came rushing back. He remembered project Tessa, what it meant for artificial intelligence, and how exactly it all went downhill. His arm sparked a bit as his palm made contact with Yangs, it was indeed a traditional gesture. What was untraditional however was the fact that his arm released an audible shockwave which propelled miss Xiao Long several feet backward. Even more unusually, she passed through two walls from the kinetic force, unscathed from the impact.

"I am OK, bleh" Was all Yang said as she pretended to pass out from pain, which clearly she wasn't in.

"Is that woman indestructible?" Tobi thought aloud with a raised brow, he was impressed she was conscious enough to make light of the situation at least.

"Nope, just Yang, so uh...what actually just happened?" Miss Schnee seemed unphased, clearly, this kind of thing happened to that teammate often enough for it to be a bore.

"If I could hazard a guess; most likely the laws of physics having a lovers quarrel between how my rail canon and unfinished sonic canon work. As well as how Xiao Long's semblance interacted with them just now. Frankly, I have no logical answer for what caused the glitch in my hardware, to begin with." Tobi did find it somewhat amusing how used to such antics the group already were. They were certainly leagues above the cooperation within his team.

In truth, Tobi did know what caused the glitch, and it was an inconceivable source at least for him. Ever since he'd gotten the overdrive he hadn't felt a thing, beyond actual pain the way most normal people do. The memory that would likely trigger such a response was a load bearing one, something he felt responsible for. Namely a cataclysmic event that happened to be part of what caused Mantle to go poof. Well not poof exactly, it was more of a kaboom than anything. The only thing he was responsible for on that project was the activation and deactivation devices. He had accounted for every potential outcome except for one, human error. Or rather an artificial intelligence attempting to handle that flaw. It did not end well if he knew what guilt was he was pretty sure that'd give him some.

"Come on, tell us your Semblance; Naya controls temperature, I can alter my size at will and three of Tobi's limbs are modular cybernetic tools of butt kicking." Chrome and the others had been discussing the links between aura, semblance, and personality for the past hour. The raw data was interesting, but Tobi couldn't test his theories just yet.

"Nay silly fox lady, Tenebres will not reveal her Semblance. Mostly cause she promised mother she wouldn't until the time was right. That time is not now, it will be soon but that is a ways away. Mother gets angry when rules are broken, so no telling." Tenebres replied with a serious tone, the girl's unorthodox dialect made her tricky to understand at times.

"Ah...so it's a secret, and what kind of secret is it that you can't share your semblance with your teammates?" Tobi was curious, due to her being so adamant about not revealing it and apparently angering her mother was a bad idea. He couldn't help but raise a brow as Tenebres walked over to the light switch for their dorm room.

"The seeeecreet kind!" Tenebres chimed devilishly as she turned out the lights, while the lights were off, glowing red eyes showed her position.

"Uh, maybe we shouldn't pry too much into Tenebres's personal life," Naya gave Chrome a stern glare as the lights came back on, the group had been spooked by Tenebres's trick but Chrome jumping into her arms was beyond silly. So she elected to drop her teammate as soon as she was able. "Is something the matter Tobi, you look like your gears have been grinding all night." She normally wouldn't pry, and Tobi likely had his reasons to remain quiet. However, he had almost been too quiet since Glynda's lecture on teamwork and coordination after they botched their first mission.

"Hmm? Oh nothing too serious, I was considering giving you lot a label...er-decoration." Tobi stopped to think about his phrasing for a moment. "Let me finish, this is no mere species classification or degrading culture label. It is far more significant, something that only applied to my mother's closest coworkers and friends." He felt a little relieved when the brief bit of tension in the air waned. "From this day forth, until your ethical values give me a reason to doubt this decision; you lot will be my Nakama." Tobi had to focus as he said it, this was the first time he'd ever genuinely uttered the phrase.

"Yay!" Tenebres pounced on Tobi, tackling him to the ground in excitement. "Tenebres will be good Nakama, you'll see, you'll see! Erm...question...what is a Nakama?" She seemed excited about the concept at least.

"Please remove your person from mine and I will tell you." Tobi stretched after the excitable girl that made a diving board jealous got off of him. "I must apologize, the multiple century language barriers has caused a lapse in judgment. A Nakama is...a comrade, someone who's bonds run thicker than blood or species; but most importantly, it means friend or family depending on how you pronounce it." He explained with what barely registered as a smile on his face as he spoke.

Tobi was almost certain they would either tease him or balk at the thought of humans and Faunus working on a team together. The kind of comradery he was talking about was hard to come by in anything other than a fairy tale. It wasn't the kind of thing noteworthy foes would take lightly, so he didn't want to squander the notion. Either way, his concerns seemed unwarranted, the kind of grins they were giving him were welcoming. Although it was clear from at least Chrome's body language that they were in fact about to mess with him. Logically this would have lead to another disaster, so he braced himself mentally for it.

"Aww, that's actually...sweet, I mean a touch condescending but still!" Naya's response seemed fully heartfelt, he'd grown to understand the notes of her song well.

"What you expecting us to go 'they grow up so fast' and all that noise?" Chrome paused to stretch her arms, she always seemed full of energy. "Sorry mister stoic mc steel buns, but I don't buy it. Not yet anyway, you say next to nothing for over a week and suddenly you want to butter us up! Please, I'm not normally the grown-up of this situation but I'm reservin my judgment till I see proof you aren't just another schmuck like Cardin got it?" Despite her joking tone, her statement on the matter was laser-focused. He had almost expected this exact reaction, though not quite in that way.

Tobi put a hand to his chin. "Yes I am stoic and yes my buns are in fact made of steel; as for your comment about Cardin. I'm not entirely sure what a schmuck is, but it sounds demeaning so I will attempt to not be one." He paused and turned to face Tenebres, who appeared deep in thought. "And what about you? Are we not worthy of your little pack or tribe or whatever?" He actually was curious, since Tenebres was quieter than him which would be saying a lot. She rarely spoke except to explain her actions or to agree to follow orders given to her.

"Mergrgr, Tenebres will not be patronized for how she sees friends and family. What Tenebres will do is do her best to be Nakama! There are few words Tenebres knows well, but friend, family, comrade, all very important yes!" Her butchered English was almost charming, even if the third person self-referencing got a tad cringe-worthy at times.

"I...see..." That statement was a tad blunt, but at least she got her point across. "I need some air, apologies but your 'girl talk' is suffocating." Not that Tobi minded it too terribly, at least it was concepts he could wrap his head around over actual girl talk.

To be entirely blunt, Tobi knew their statements could have gone a lot worse than they had. His logical side wanted to blame being honest with his words. But then again he was almost certain it was because he did the irrational thing and opened up to them a bit. At least he didn't have a random impulse to talk about the power of friendship or whatever. That would get annoying with repeated viewings at every conflict. He really didn't know what the future held, but at the very least things were less boring now.

-[Author's Note]-

Just to explain something that may or may not be obvious: Neapolitan's Dialogue isn't her 'talking' physically with her mouth (unless she's doing something like a raspberry or 'pff') and she isn't using telepathy either. She's using her hands to physically write the dialogue into the air with light, using her semblance to do so. This idea was suggested to me when I asked RWBY Reddit what to do when wanting to give Neo a 'voice'. So it's still (technically) sign language, she's just being cheeky and cheating with her semblance for the sake of the audience. I honestly find it weird she doesn't do this in canon! I hope that clears up why I stop explicitly saying 'she signed' at some point in this chapter.


	3. A Grimm Memory

Chapter 4: A Grimm Memory

One would think that after a few months of being awake after who knows how many years of stasis would bring his body back to full steam. Sadly Tobi's calculations on this matter were groosley underestimated. It wasn't so much that he didn't have time to train, Goodwitch's class more than made up for that. No, it was the constant musings on each and every emotion, their role in his life and if it would be worth the energy to master them. His musings were unfortunately an utterly pointless baseline, he needed an outside source to learn from. That was the basis of making the other members of his team his Nakama.

But between adapting to school, the absurd but fitting teachings of a Hunter academy and seeking out the missing Tessa unit. There was very little room for error in judgement let alone study practices. If he was at his prime he'd doubtless be able to almost effortlessly keep up. However Tobi knew full well the effects of stasis lock, a condition that can occur when one is put in stasis for far too long. If his estimates were right, he was currently at maybe seventy percent of his full capacity.

"Excellent work miss Orion, though I do wish you'd spar with someone besides Arc for once. I don't think his pride can keep up with your winning streak. And please refrain from your fighting game terminology while in actual combat, it's a waste of energy." Glynda's critique was blunt but fair as usual, though Tobi couldn't stand her almost smug grin as she gave it.

"Hey! I resent that statement; even if it's partially true." Juane's statement was either sarcastic or ironic, most likely both.

"O-oh! I've b-been picking him this whole semester? I barely noticed!" Naya wasn't the type to play dumb, but in this one instance she absolutely had to.

"Why do you pick Juane so often? You are aware that there are far better sparring partners?" Glynda was admitedly curious, and it likely showed in her body language.

"I er, like the way he swings his sword?" Naya blushed immediately after she said it when Yang busted out into a rolling laughter. She knew exactly why even though the pun itself was as bad as Juane's footing.

"Ahem-yes that's an admirable reason I suppose; even though he somehow makes swish swish stab actually complicated." Glynda wasn't positive as to how, but Arc seemed equally skilled and untalented at his chosen weapon.

Tobi wasn't even sure he could call Glynda's methods of education a class really. Sure sparring was a good learning tool yes, but she was doing little to refine her students performance outside her critique. Peter Ports and Doctor Ooblec were both competent instructors of their field though he had to contain his internal screaming when the historian of the pair started going on about mantle. Ports on the other hand was entertaining, while he had a difficult time staying awake for Goodwitch's class. The bouts themselves were interesting, it was just the monotony of hearing her critique and waiting his turn. When his name did come up he almost locked up deciding who to choose every day. It really didn't help that he was going on extra jobs on top of the missions with his team either. Searching for Tessa was a bigger priority than regular sleep hours, he also spent a good amount of time installing new speed drivers for his legs since Naya removed the previous pair that were connected to the overdrive unit he now lacked.

"Must you prance like that miss sunny yellow dragon? You realize you're wasting energy?" Tobi could have simply used her last name, but the actual meaning of the phrase was far more puzzling.

"Prancing? It's the switch step man, and it's an important part of daddy-jitsu." Yang had already sparred with Tobi a few times, she figured she could relax with this match.

"Daddy...jitsu-I see; it's a pun because Tai Yang is a joke to fight sometimes?" Tobi did recall Yang's father being a point to vent about. His sparring matches after classes just ended up being their go to way to blow off steam.

"Ouch, you really don't pull punches in class; it looks like I won't have to go easy on ya then!" Yang did her best to hide her smirk, it was inwardly amusing how quickly the emotionally stunted bookworm got how people ticked. The guy could seriously make a carrear out of bouncing off of people if he could fix his attitude a bit.

Overall sparring with miss Xiao Long was infuriating in some ways while enlightening in others. Her style lacked grace of any kind yet she displayed potential as a close range brawler. Tobi's frustration with this was due to being used to training against armed opponents rather than direct hand to hand. It wouldn't be as bad if she didn't spend so much energy making her moves as fancy looking as possible. Such a childlike approach to mixed martial arts was admirable but faulty at best since it made her easy to read. He could spot her every strike from orbit, yet she was just quick enough for him to not be able to react in time. On the off chance he did manage to block a strike, it was either a second early or a second late, meaning he took the full force of it. Thankfully the only limb he really had to protect from that was his left arm, everything else he could just fix.

"Come on Tobi, why're your swings so slow today? It ain't like you to sandbag!" Tobi knew it was Yang's voice, but those words froze him in place.

_"Getting slow already Tobi? You know full well sandbagging will get you nowhere."_

Yang's words brought back a bitter memory, one of the mentor he'd rather forget. That man had an infuriating way of playing with his food. Backhanded critique often followed by a taunt to try harder, in order to entertain him. Ozma was a powerful old fool, the same man who stirred his semblance awake with such ease. The long stay in stasis had reversed whatever sorcery the mentor used to awaken his abilities. It was Ozma who suggested time travel to begin with, Ozma who suggested that it was the only way to surpass his father. The old man had tricked him into having hope, now he was back to square one, no light bending powers to flaunt, and no mother to impress with his hard work. It would be sufficient to say his blood was boiling, at this point he only saw Ozma, smiling back at him. As far as he was concerned, he had just unlocked the safety protocols on his speed boosters.

"Ozma, how many times do I have to tell you? It's very rude to play with your food!" Tobi swung at Ozma with a high arching kick. Of course the old man blocked it with his cane, obviously still toying with him.

"Ozma? He couldn't mean...could he? This...could be bad." Glynda thought aloud as she quietly pressed a button underneath her desk. Ozpin would want to know about what spurred this sudden change of demeanor immediately.

"Yikes! I almost didn't catch that one! Heyo...earth to Tobi? You there dude? I've given somebody the look you're giving me right now before, and spoiler alert I only give that look to one person!" Yang caught the kick just in time, the blow was strong enough to slide her to the side an inch. She then snapped her fingers in front of his face, his eyes were stone cold. "Look if it's about me holding back, uh, this is class? You know, not a life or death situation?" Yang blinked as she watched Tobi take a few steps backward while cracking his knuckles.

"Training or not, life or death is the only way to keep up with you. I've been itching to try these new features anyway. Tessa has this functionality as well, consider it a demonstration." Tobi took his fighting stance, and then tightened the core muscles of his arm. "Don't...blink." He stated coldly as he began to take a step forward.

"Er? Don't Blink? What do you..." Yang blinked when Tobi vanished from normal sight. "Oh Fuck m-" A split second later, Tobi reappeared, inches away from her face. His right fist then burrowed deep into her stomach. She felt air leave her lungs, she had slid back a good two feet even after bracing for the impact. Her ears were ringing slightly from the strike too, this was exactly why Ruby wasn't allowed to use her semblance when they sparred back home.

"Tobi! I have no idea who this Ozma is, or what they've done to your pride. But you are facing Yang Xiao Long at the moment, open your eyes. This amount of excessive force is worthy of suspension, or even expulsion, regardless of the circumstances." Glynda had to snap him out of whatever trance he was in. That name was not one to be taken so lightly, nor could it be thrown around at the drop of a hat.

"Owwwwwwwch, just, fucking, owww, that's...going to leave a mark." Yang lifted her shirt to check after regaining her composure, sure enough there were black spots where Tobi's fist once was.

Tobi bit his lip as his blurred vision returned to normal, he had heard of chasing ghosts but this was truly out of turn. He wasn't sure what to think, what to feel, the rage had subsided and he'd regained his default composure. This outburst was one of the many reasons emotions hindered him. It was strange, but the sensation of emotion at all was growing more and more common as of late. More than likely it had to do with the removal of his overdrive chip. It was the only thing that made the current mishap logical, let alone him abandoning logic for emotion a few weeks prior.

"Apologies Glynda, apologies Yang, it appears I was in error. Yang's taunting brought back a rather...Grimm memory..." Tobi didn't even know what he could say to make up for what he did.

"Boo..." Yang had fully regained her composure at this point, even though she wanted to laugh at the horrible pun.

"Ahem! Anyway, it appears even I am succeptable to phantom chasing once in a while. I have been working myself far more than usual lately, clearly I underestimated the tole it would take on my senses. The phantom I was chasing was not a pleasant one, thus I forfeit my match to miss Yang." Tobi finished with a serious tone as he bowed in respect to his oponent.

"Tobi Kandezume, please report to my office immediately; come prepared. I have some questions regarding your outburst today." Ozpin didn't sound angry at least, in a way his tone seemed almost intrigued. Though there was only so much one could draw from school sanctioned loudspeakers.

Tobi didn't know Ozpin that well since the dean rarely showed himself to the students. Whenever he needed something he would always have Glynda take care of it. While he wasn't all that familiar with school based education he knew exactly what a call to the principals office meant. High praise for something unusual was out, obviously a parent teacher meeting was out, other than excessive force which really he understood Glynda's motion to potentially suspend him nothing seemed logical. He was also concerned, who would be so knowlegable to wrangle the likes of Oobleck, Ports, and notably Goodwitch to his side? The elevator ride was a long one, he was even tempted to press the button for every floor. He was too nervous to move at the moment, except holding down the button that closed the doors to the elevator so they wouldn't open.

"So anxious Tobi, please, do come in." The doors opened up as the man spoke, revealing the large almost empty room.

"You do realize overcompensation usually signifies a significant...lack of certain qualities..." Tobi felt as if he could freely speak his mind here, nobody was watching. He took two steps forward to exit the elevator as he spoke.

"The more things change, the more they stay the same, wouldn't you agree?" Ozpin spoke confidently, sitting in his chair and sipping black fragrant coffee after his comment.

"I'm...not entirely sure I follow?" Tobi raised a brow, why was he being so mysterious?

"You never were the following type, I can agree with that much. Always so bold, blindly forging his own path with no true goal in sight. It's no wonder you always feel so...lost, is that it? The brilliant Tobi has lost his way?" Ozpin casually sipped a bit of coffee and placed it down on his desk, then he slowly stood up.

Tobi adjusted his glasses. "I'm lost, you think that's it? That I'm a mindless sheep? Then tell me oh cryptic shepard, what is it I must do then? Everything I know is gone, everyone I loved is gone, and the only man with the potential to guide me is a cryptic old fool." Tobi had to restrain himself, he hated the feeling of loss, he hated being lost. At one point he'd have done just about anything to find his way.

Ozpin sighed. "Yet again, you're thinking too much boy, calm down...take a moment to...drink it in. Honestly I'm surprised it hasn't clicked already. If that outburst today was related to your sleeping semblance, I have...ways of fixing that." At this point he was playing games with him, just like the old days, he really was amusing at times.

Tobi didn't really have much choice as the doors closed behind him, he took a step forward, then another. Slowly he inched toward the center of the room, taking in every detail. If it was a riddle, he could easily solve it, but there were no words. This was some kind of test, but of what exactly? He circled around the chair in front of Ozpin's desk once, taking in the entire room. His eyes finally met with that cane again. All at once, it all came rushing back. Everything leading up to his time in stasis, especially his training with a certain individual. Most importantly, one memory was burned into his mind, the day he was cheated.

"You expect me to rely on your sorcery again?" Tobi sat down in the chair and crossed one leg over the other. "No chance, fool me once and all that. Who else knows, very few I bet." At this point he was just mocking Ozpin's demeanor, he wasn't going to play that game any time soon.

Ozpin smiled. "So you do learn. At least let me point you in the right direction, then. However, I can't promise it'll come so easily...your semblance is...complicated. I've not encountered a semblance quite like yours you know, why else do you think I was eager to awaken it?" He pulled a large oak box out of one of the drawers on his desk and placed it in front of Tobi.

"Dust Crystals?" Tobi spoke aloud as he opened the case, inside four decently large samples of dust. "Ah, but you wouldn't be Ozma if the clue didn't have some kind of catch." He could see right through the crystals, one for each of the four base elements. Naya would be set for weeks with just this batch alone.

"Not just any dust crystals, the purest cut, and a further supply if you succeed in a special mission I'm planning. And, I think you already know the 'catch' Tobi. Come now, you think you'd have learned by now." Ozpin wasn't sure if giving the boy a crutch was the right move, but it was the only risk worth taking at this point.

Tobi sighed in frustration. "Silence doesn't ever come cheap does it? If you think this means I'll take your side..." He was admitedly curious now, dust was only a hint, but was the quality of dust really that much of a hint? "You never did answer my question. How many people know?" He asked once more, this time more firmly as he closed the case and took it.

"I was afraid you'd say that! Well you can't win them all I guess, and oh, just a few...very...trustworthy few." Ozpin let out a sigh of defeat, he hadn't counted on Tobi becoming stubborn again.

"You mean useful people, I highly doubt the average staff know. And while I'm at it, you don't plan on telling Rose about those eyes of hers do you? Let me guess, someone important has to die first or it's not fun." Tobi had the man's attention at the moment, so he figured he'd wring it out of him if he could.

"I'm wounded Tobi, truly I am. You know as well as I do that those secrets are...powerful, those kinds of things in the wrong hands could be bad for everyone involved. Especially Rose..." He was more concerned about how childlike she still was.

"Then answer me this...how many like her are there, and I mean...breathing." Tobi had to admit he was curious, but he knew Ozma well. He was the type of man to keep track of that sort of thing.

Ozpin audibly groaned. "There is...one, at least that I'm aware of currently, and they're a bit of a basket case. Do pray that you never encounter them, let alone fight them. Trust me when I say that Rose is far more likable, and well...sane, that's the big one." He cringed just thinking about that woman. She actively put herself in harms way, and frequently experimented with dust in freaky ways. The woman was a hazard to herself and those around her.

"Sounds entertaining, and if they annoy even you, that's quite high praise isn't it?" Tobi had a hand to his chin, now he was curious. "Are we done, I'd like to get to work analyzing your little 'hint' and finishing my schoolwork." Tobi stated as he stood up and closed the box containing the dust.

"Yes yes, go back to your analyzing and data collecting. And...do try to make some friends Tobi, those can be rather useful tools even for people like us." Ozpin stated after taking a sip of his coffee, Tobi had a unique way of getting information from people.

"I am nothing like you, and Nakama are certainly not 'tools'." Tobi stated coldly as he waved his hand while leaving the room, he had a lot of ground to cover and very little time to cover it.

"Come on, you're the only mechanic besides himself that he trusts. Ya gotta have some juicy info on him?" Yang had been pestering Naya for almost an hour while waiting for the person in question to arrive.

"S-sorry, Tobi doesn't really talk about himself all that much; the closest thing to opening up he's done was calling us his Nakama. He's a little bit strict and curt at times; however it's clear what his intent is when you talk with him r-right? He's told us where he's from and what his position was in his father's company and...that's about it." Naya was surprised Tobi could be patient with Yang, she seemed so forward and nosey on top of being loaded with energy all the time.

"He is a bit too easy to read, it's like he doesn't care what people think. I think one time he said actions spoke louder than words ever could, is that how he's been reading into everyone? Kind of a boring way to get to know people, plus you could totally get the wrong impression." Yang was fairly sure he'd said something similar when she bugged him about interests. "It's kinda weird, sometimes he's totally open but most of the time he's all 'my own interests are my own interests' or whatever." Honestly the only person harder to read was Ozpin, she'd only met him once though.

Ruby shrugged her shoulders. "Tenebres told me Tobi ebbs and flows like the tide. I really don't get what she meant, but maybe we should just be patient with him? Blake took forever and a half to warm up to us and Tobi's even more closed off than she is, which is saying a lot." Ruby just knew he was smart and had cool robotic limbs.

"Where even is Tobi anyway, it's not like him to be la-hit the decks!" Naya was surprised to hear him coming toward them so quickly. He had shot between the small group almost in the blink of an eye, slamming hard into the wall of the building behind them.

"Note to self: disingage speed boosters when absorbing blunt force trauma." Tobi had fallen to his knees, reeling from the blow that was delt to him a few seconds ago.

It wasn't long before Tobi's attacker arrived on the scene. She was a pale skinned red head, bearing an old fashioned corset dress, with black leggings that had green thin linings. She was roughly Tobi's height, had green eyes and wore a pink bow in her hair. Her movements weren't quite as fluid as the average person, Tobi had assumed she was mechanical by design. The only mechanical being he knew was the rogue Tessa unit, which is what he had assumed his attacker was. Tessa did enjoy taking on random disguises to mess with him, some of them bordering a sick and twisted mindset. The girl seemed to act quite suspicious when he asked if she was mechanical, furthering his suspicions that she could be Tessa. Both Tobi and the attacker were scuffed up a bit, implying that they had been fighting for a good deal before they arrived on campus.

"Penny? Uh...what...are you doing with Tobi?" Ruby blinked in confusion as she watched the hand to hand combat resume once Tobi regained his composure.

"Ruby! Oh I uh...just making a new friend! I think he's really just being shy." Penny replied as she turned her focus back toward her opponent.

Tobi sighed in frustration. "That's enough fun for now Tessa, why must you be so difficult?" Tobi asked seriously as he blocked her strikes as best he could.

"You're the one being stubborn! If I was who you think I am, don't you think I'd you know...recognize you?" Penny replied with a rather firm tone as she managed to strike Tobi with a strong left hook, the blow would have sent him flying if he hadn't braced himself.

"Hmm..." Tobi spit some blood out and quickly regained his composure. "Perhaps you do have a point, I still don't trust machines...especially not ones with a left hook like that." He had nearly been knocked off balance, that was a rare occasion to be honest.

"Ugh, I'm not a machine! I mean ok, maybe I sorta am...but I'm also like, not, it's complicated! Can't you just, you know, take a chance? I could even help you find your friend. And for the last time, my name is Penny." Penny stomped her foot and thrust her fists downward as she spoke.

Tobi took a step backward in bewilderment, this machine got more intriguing by the minute. Not only was it insisting it wasn't a machine, it even offered to help locate Tessa. Granted the offer itself wasn't strange, she had called Tessa his friend. To be honest, Tobi did wish to be friends once, but something occurred that drastically changed that opinion. Tobi put a hand to his chin for a moment to think, he could use more help regarding his search for tessa. And someone outside a certain person's influence would be a useful boon indeed.

"Penny...now that you mention it, Dr. Light did ramble on about a 'penny' from time to time." Tobi crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "I still don't know, how can I be sure I can trust you. If you're anything like Tessa..." He paused and tapped his foot on the ground. "Bah, I'm overthinking it, and I could use an extra pair of eyes. Very well miss...Penny, I accept your offer. The real trick will be letting you roam freely without your father butting in." He finished with a small shrug of his shoulders as he offered his hand to shake.

Penny tilted her head to the side. "You'd change your mind, just like that? You're a hard one to figure out you know that? And...yeah...father is...overprotective, it's super annoying." She was a bit surprised, this Tobi certainly wasn't as odd as he seemed. Though, he clearly marched to the beat of his own drum most of the time.

"Pot...meet Kettle..." Tobi replied with sarcasm in his tone. "I know the feeling, my father was...difficult, at least yours is entertaining to be around. Though I honestly don't blame him, I've done the math on how many credits went into building you. It'd be a shame if you were to fall into the wrong hands, innocent as you are." He didn't mind being so blunt that time, she seemed like the type to take a hit like that in stride.

"Hehe...you got me there!" Penny chimed playfully bonking herself lightly on the head as she said it.

Ozpin had approached the group with a smile. "Making new friends already Tobi? Pardon me for sounding surprised, you've only just opened up to your teammates." To be honest he was quite surprised, the Tobi he knew would spend months analyzing values and quirks before even thinking of trusting someone. Maybe that extended stay in stasis had done him some good after all.

Tobi adjusted his glasses. "You know me old man, I like to make a habbit of allying myself with valuable people. This lass is worth every...penny." He folded his arms and smirked as he watched Yangs eye twitch. She'd probably be booing him if she wasn't so annoyed. "Is there a reason you've split our two groups up for these two missions headmaster? The power dynamic between our eight members is quite...lopsided. That...and I don't think us first years are ready for field work yet honestly." He had assumed that since the four schoolmates here were called for a mission, obviously the four remaining were assigned a job as well.

Ozpin chuckled. "Sharp as a tack like always, honestly Tobi can't I have at least a little fun for once? But yes...as you say the remaining members of you eight have their own mission in a few days. As for the reason, think of it as...an experiment, one that might prove quite useful to the lot of you. Think of these two missions as a dry run, to judge what sorts of missions to allow the first years to take." He glanced between the young red head and Tobi, she had kind of hid herself behind him. "My...I hope that doesn't mean you two are an item, she doesn't look remotely like your type." He finished with a smirk, he was pretty confident that wasn't the case. Tobi was absolutely hopeless as a romantic, even if the boy refused to admit it.

"An item? Me? Uh no no, no items here sir! Just uh, normal...non romantic people. Definately no items-ow!" Penny stopped talking when Tobi elbowed her gently, obviously she was saying too much.

"Wait, so that means...me and Yang are going on a mission with Tobi and Naya? And Blake and Weis get stuck with Chrome and Tenebres? That's...kind of a weird combination, there's no like...logic behind it." Ruby asked with a raised brow, she knew from observation how odd Tenebres and Chrome were. Naya and Tobi were equally odd, but they seemed to get along with their teammates just fine.

Ozpin adjusted his glasses. "Oh but there is logic to it Ruby, think of it as a...team building workout. One day you may be forced to cooperate with classmates you aren't entirely familiar with. Those types of situations can be rather dodgy, let alone dangerous if you aren't mentally prepared." He kind of pulled that one out of his ass, but at least it did have some merit.

"I mean you're the headmaster, so it's not like we can really complain. But seriously, you're sticking me with Tobi? Naya's ok but Tobi's not exactly a team player...at least from what Chrome told me a few days ago. He kind of just...does his own thing until he finds some miracle way to unify the group and pull off some big maneuver." Yang had to admit it'd be weirder working with Chrome and Tenebres though. Tenebres speaking in third person most of the time was kind of annoying, and Chrome was weirdly flirty, like even when she was joking.

Tobi shrugged his shoulders. "Right, and I'm the only person in the world who operates that way. It's not like I choose to be a leader, the group just kinda...works that way. It's hard to explain really, but I do stress that there are others who's team functions just fine operating as we do." Yang did have a point, he knew damn well he had to work on his teamwork skills. It was easier to work with people once he understood their personality more.

"Guilty as cha-ow...Yang what was that for?" Ruby was surprised when Yang bonked her on her head, making her bite her tongue in the process.

"Ex nay the teamwork bay!" Yang whispered in an annoyed tone. "Ahem, soo professor Ozpin, what's our mission? Some big bad beastie in need an ass woopin I hope!" She slammed her fist into her hand as she spoke, she was itching for a decent fight.

"Oh no, nothing quite so...life threatening, Glynda's recently given me a slap on the wrist about that. You four will be investigating some abandoned dust mines. The Shnee family no longer owns the property, due to natural hazards in the area, but their security cameras have detected...suspicious activity lately." Ozpin stated with a slight chuckle, Ruby's team were a rowdy bunch compared to the others.

Ruby's eyes lit up. "What kind of suspicious activity? Rogues, bandits, criminal organisations?" She got more and more excited with each listing, even though they were practically the same thing.

"Nothing that shady I'm afraid, you'll be investigating some odd rock formations within the mines. Let's just say there's something...unusual lately about the tremors in that area. Your job will be to identify the cause of these tremors and report any dust related findings back to me. And another thing, if you do encounter anyone or any...thing." Ozpin paused and tapped his cane on the ground. "You are not to engage with them, Grimm or otherwise. You have four days to...bond before your mission, I suggest you use that time wisely. That goes double for you Tobi, now if you all will excuse me I have work to do." He gave the small group a slight bow before heading off to where he needed to go next.

"So...who's up for scary movies, nail polishing and gossiping about cute boys?" Tobi stated sarcastically with complete dissinterest in his tone.

"Oh come on! It's not like that's ALL we do." Yang replied with her arms crossed, how much did Tobi know about girls, like at all.

"Oh I'm sorry, I left out shopping for clothes, pillow fights, and reading romance novels." This time Tobi was a little more annoyed. "Nothing wrong with those activities, but in case you didn't notice I don't have tits. I don't know the first thing about women, let alone those my own age. So forgive me if your usual activity choices make me cringe a little." He really wished he could've worded it better after he'd said it, but he figured that he could attempt to be honest with them.

Yang smirked. "Jesus, you don't mince words do you dude? I think I liked you more when you didn't talk much!" Yang tried not to laugh, she'd heard blunt before but this was just painful. "In all seriousness, there's more to us girls than...girly shit...but I can see how it can seem that horrible on the outside looking in. But let's see...what can we have you do that isn't twisting your arm?" She asked more seriously as she crossed her arms, this would be tricky to do. At least he seemed open to suggestions and willing to be adventurous for once.

"Um! There's a really awesome manga cafee in town! It's got a mega huge selection of all the latest stuff! And an arcade, and tons of box sets of the latest anime. And they don't even charge rent if you work seven hours a day there." Naya spoke up first, hoping to break up what little tension was mounting with the group.

"I...uh...oh, there's this new weapon and dust shop that I've been dying to check out! Weis says their prices are way beyond our budget but we could still snoop around." Ruby figured that'd be something at least sort of useful.

"And once we're done with all that I know this badass club with some rockin DJ's. We can totally binge ourselves some grub and hit the dance floor. You might even meet a new lady friend!" Yang had to wonder if Tobi could even dance, let alone with a partner. Still, it'd be better than the usual chill activities that they would've had to offer.

Tobi paced a bit before sighing in defeat. "Very well, so long as the headmaster insists we spend time togeth-hey." Yang had grabbed him by his organic arm. "What on earth are you doing?" He questioned seriously planting his feet into the ground as he spoke.

"Taking you to the manga shop, duh! The headmaster even said to use our time wisely." Yang was surprised at how well he held his ground against her strength.

"He also said we had three whole days, there's no need to rush..." Tobi flinched when Naya joined in and started helping tugging his arm.

"If we start now we'll have more time to chill later, come on...it'll be fun." Naya stated seriously as she made sure to tug Tobi from his arm rather than tugging on Yang.

Tobi tilted his head. "Fun? You can't be serious, why on earth would I take part in this...fun?" He was of course half joking to see how serious they were taking his cluelessness. Though to be fair, he really didn't know much about having fun, much less with a group of females.

"Gasp! It's worse than we thought! Quick, we need to get some entertainment in his system fast." Ruby shouted in a sort of panic as she started shoving Tobi from the back.

"Come on now, I'm not dangerously ill. Fine, but I'll walk on my own two legs thankyou." Tobi straightened his stance and shook all three of them off with little effort. "Honestly, this is kind of why I avoid interacting with females. Hey, wait up you lot!" They were already off to the races without him, clearly females had way too much energy to burn.

Although he was being sarcastic, Tobi had drastically underestimated the vigor in which females could entertain this idea of fun. Something that he thought was only going to be a few minutes became thirty, then an hour, then multiple hours. The more fun he attempted to have, the more puzzled he was. They always seemed so shocked whenever he confirmed that he was enjoying himself. The manga shop had many volumes to read, some of which he purchased. The arcade was exhausting with all the sounds and various activities to do. And then there was the shopping, dear lord the shopping. He thought they were just going to window shop a single store. But oh no, it slowly turned into an all day affair with him barely keeping up with the three of them. Ruby of course was the most energetic of them all, letting out deeper sighs every time they couldn't afford something. Naya was much the same way, except with all the dust crystals. Yang seemed to hang in the middle of the other two, still full of excitement, but she had a more level-headed approach.

Overall, his mind was buzzing with ideas, his body was fully burnt out and he had very little energy left to resist their musings. And of course the day did in fact end with them going to a night club, at nearly midnight. He was almost relieved to see Chrome at the entrance, but she seemed to be struggling to get the door open. Tugging with all of her might in various ways to get the door to budge.

"Hey Chrome! ... Still ... so... fluffy..." Ruby chimed in excitement as she stared in amazement at Chromes large and fluffy fox tail.

"No time for tail hugs little red, this stupid door just won't open! I got in last night! They musta changed the lock on me or something." Chrome gently shoved Ruby away from her with her leg while still pulling on the door as hard as she could.

Yang stood there and watched in amusement. "Uh, maybe it's an uh...you know...what do they call those? Push doors?" She asked seriously as she crossed her arms, she had heard Chrome was a ditz from Naya in class.

"Oh get serious! I'm pretty sure this club has a pull d-" Chrome froze in shock when Yang slowly opened the opposite door with one arm. "Heh, obviously that side is a push door! Which means without a doubt that this side is a pull door. See, I can be all logical and smart too." She finished with a good amount of pride in her tone.

"Should we...maybe open the door for her?" Yang whispered to Naya with moderate concern in her tone. She had to give Chrome some credit for persistance though, she was detirmined if anything else.

"Don't worry, once Chrome sets her mind on something it's hard to convince her otherwise. She'll give up and go home once they close though!" Naya had to hide her snicker, she knew that Chrome would be able to hear it.

Once they were inside the club Tobi found it quite hard to breathe. The floor was set with flashing lights and there were some fog machines rolling out full blast, and dear god the music. Granted it wasn't so bad, he could easily hide himself away in a crowd this dense. The smell of alcohol was almost overpowering, thankfully you couldn't actually get drunk from the smell alone. The club overall made the sound and music from the arcade seem like kid stuff. All he could do was stand still and watch the people on the dance floor shift about.

"Hey! Doing alright there temporary team leader?" Yang asked playfully patting Tobi quite hard on the back, almost knocking him off his feet.

"People honestly expect to have fun in these places? I think all this motion is making me sick." Tobi stated as he regained his composure, he had literally locked up for just a moment until Yang snapped him out of it.

"Bah, just a bad case of first time jitters! Take a moment to chill and get into the atmosphere, you'll be groovin to the beat in no time. If you're really that sick, go find us a table dude...you put in some serious work today." Yang was surprised how open he was being at the moment, maybe all they had to do was physically wear him out to get him talking.

"Work, I thought we were having fu-" Tobi paused when Yang melted into the crowd already. "And...she's gone..." He quickly searched for the quietest part of the room and sat down at an empty booth. "Fun...is exhausting." He collapsed onto the table and let out a deep sigh of relief, glad to finally be alone for a bit.

It would be different if he could at least hear himself think, but the gods weren't that generous in this place. If he was a Faunus he was pretty sure his nose would be overstimulated by this point. At least the DJ decided to switch from the loud base music to a smooth jazz number. Tobi raised a brow when he noticed Ruby waving at him from behind the DJ desk. Did she really bribe the DJ just to let him have some peace? He had little time to ponder why, some person was causing a commotion in the crowd. Many people telling someone to watch where they were going, a few people saying crazy woman, and he was pretty sure he heard a cat yelp. What sort of comedy act could be causing a commotion like this at a night club?

"Pardon me~ Scuse me~ imported huntress coming through dear!" It was a woman's voice, possibly the perkiest tones he'd heard in a long time.

"Forgive me for asking, but I don't believe busting a move involves...walking on one's hands." Tobi stated with a hand to his chin.

The woman in question was quite tall, most of her height came from her legs. She had copper hair that would go past her shoulders if she was walking upright. Her dress was a bright green western gown, the kind that typically had a wire grate around the inside. Her leggings didn't quite match the dress, they looked like something one would wear for a one night stand. While she wasn't super voluptious, the volume of her curves were noticable. She was definitely older than Goodwitch, but due to her character he had no idea how much older.

"My my, aren't you a grouchy guss. If you believe that you really aught to give it a try. Although...my blood is starting to rush to my head, whatever am I going to do? This method of getting around was giving me a nice break from my semblance. Well sort of, the flashes aren't nearly as...violent." She was unfazed by Tobi's bluntness, her voice was still as sing song as it was before.

"Perhaps you should...you know...stop then? Miss...huntress?" Tobi had to wonder if all graduated hunters and huntresses were this strange. The few that he'd met certainly seemed to suggest as much.

"Oh you are so right dearie, silly old me hadn't thought of that! Hup...and woo~" She first took the time to balance on one finger, then did a smooth backflip, landing squarely on her feet. "Oops! Almost dropped my sunglasses, bad Hazumi, you know what your mentor said about showing off." She had fallen backward slightly before regaining her balance and composure, all the while clinging to her very dark sunglasses with her free hand. "Care to move dearie? You're in my seat~" She stated with a slight huff as she crossed her arms.

"Is it really? Then I'll be going...why are you standing in my way?" Tobi had shifted where he was walking, but the woman kept blocking his path. Her stance was wide open, but her guard was far from exposed.

"Oh no, no, no, sweetheart, you simply must stay! You absolutely cannot leave until you hear what auntie Hazumi has to tell you. It's very, very important I assure you. You do of course want to hear your fortune don't you?" Hazumi simply couldn't resist teasing this one a bit, he was so stern and honest. Kind of like another man she knew, although this boy didn't seem quite as stubborn as him.

"You're so free flowing you probably won't really make up your mind will you?" Tobi crossed his arms as he attempted to walk around her. Despite a significant uptick in speed, she still effortlessly got in his way.

"Hmm...nope~" Hazumi chimed playfully as she egged him on just a bit.

"And if I attempt to strike you, you're not the type to hold back. Even against a student of Beacon, right?" Tobi kept trying to bypass her, now this was quickly becoming a bit of a scene.

"Mmmm...nope!" Hazumi repeated just as chipperly as she had done before.

"And you aren't leaving me alone until you give me my so called fortune..." Tobi stepped his speed up just a bit more, short bursts like this were quite manageble. Although it still required quite a lot of energy, and the woman was still somehow keeping up with him.

"Yeah...nope~" Hazumi finally gave him a big smile and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Ngh, unhand me you kooky old-" Tobi took a deep breath and sighed in defeat. "Ugh, very well, but two things. One, you are not my 'auntie' and two, I am certainly not a 'dearie' either. My name is Tobi, no more and no less." He stated firmly as he managed to squirm away from her without causing too much of a scene.

"Kooky? Bah, sour sport, you're the one who's kooky! You don't even know what fun is!" Hazumi chimed clapped her hands together as she scooted into the booth. "Now then sweetheart, what kind of fortune would you like me to give you? It's my profession you see, oh and the first prediction is always free, and seventy five percent accurate." Hazumi blushed a little mentioning that ballpark, she really was that accurate most of the time.

"Only Seventy Five? That's a...strikingly generous percentage for error." Tobi stated seriously as he crossed his arms. "As for the fortune...let's see, perhaps...a palm reading?" He was kind of curious how she could go about predicting the future.

"Ah, simply wonderful sweetie, that's the easiest one! Just a moment...oh and, hold out your good hand dear. I can't read the lines of sheet metal after all." Hazumi began fiddling about in her satchel, looking for some nonsensical item no doubt.

"Anything to quell your chipper insistance..." Tobi placed his left hand on the table, palm facing upward. "So how exactly does this wor-hey...what in blazes are you doing?" He had little time to react, the woman had set off a small firecracker like bomb using what appeared to be a teabag. The end result was a thick, brief cloud of dust particles. Once the particles cleared he looked at his palm and immediately frowned. "Seriously? And what is this? Dust?" He paused when he flexed his hand, the dust particles coating his palm refracted white light very briefly.

"Don't be such a sour puss, you wanted your palm red...so now it's red! That's what we call a little fortune telling humor sweetie. Hmm...how interesting..." Hazumi paused and watched light refract off of the boy's hand. "Sweetheart...do you use dust with your semblance by any chance?" She asked curiously as she examined him closer.

"Semblance? Um...I...can't use mine, I've tried all manner of science and logic to stir it awake but I've come accross nothing. It's infuriating, I feel as if I'm just so close...but not quite there, you know?" Tobi flexed his hand again, this time seeing if he could make the light happen on his own. "Strange, I...thought I had something for a moment..." He was incredibly dissapointed now, Ozpin's hint wasn't as fruitful as he had hoped.

"Not to worry hun, these things take time. You're just a late bloomer is all! You'll be off to the races in no time I assure you, just keep playing with dust. Oh, and...perhaps light, yes yes light, that's the big one I'm sure of it!" She had a brief flash involving the boy, he was using dust in quite an interesting way. "Now, fortune telling jokes aside...would you still like to hear my prediction?" She finished with a serious tone as she thought about it. She didn't want to let him down after making such a big deal about it.

Tobi sighed. "Of course...light, how have I been so clueless? But even still, how...and what must I do to use it?" He checked the dust on his cybernettic hand, to his surprise there was no reaction. "Very well, you've given me a valuable hint...I think. But be quick about it miss Hazumi, I'm bloody exhausted and my patients is wearing a bit thin." He still couldn't wrap his head around the concept of light. He knew light was energy, and that dust contained energy within. But how on earth was he meant to move light using dust, and a theoretical muscle that wasn't physical but mental?

"Yay! I knew you'd be a good sport love! Now let's see~" Hazumi closed her eyes and hummed to concentrate for a bit. "I predict...a friendly arachnid and a rocky endeavor!" She chimed with vigor as she came accross a rough outline of an event. Her visions went by so fast that it was quite hard to piece together the information.

Tobi tilted his head. "That's really your prediction? Do you have any way of knowing, you know...when and how it'll happen?" He had to admit that was a rather simple prediction, not very descriptive either.

Hazumi sighed in defeat. "Dear, they're brief flashes of the future that happen at random intervals and involve people I haven't even met yet. It would be rather handy if I could pause them and read them in more detail, sadly I cannot I'm afraid. And besides, isn't half of the fun knowing hints of what may happen and waiting to see what exactly happens? That's like, the whole point of fortun telling sweetie~" She explained with a chipper tone as she thought about it some. "Although, I do wish I could change the...subject of my visions. All these poor, poor dears and I can't do a damn thing about it!" She let out a huff as she said it, there were times where she really wished she was stronger.

"Are you not a huntress? Can't you just...you know, do huntress things and prevent the visions from happening?" Tobi shrugged his shoulders as he said it, unsure if the absentminded woman was even paying attention to him.

"Ach! Good heavens no! It's incredibly unclassy to fuddle with time. There's an old folk tale about an old man who toyed with time. Wanted to be with his wife forever, well the short version is he got us royally fucked. Basically all the terrible shit we deal with now is linked to that one mistake...if my research is right, that nonsense includes the bloody moon of all things." Hazumi replied with a slightly more serious tone than she normally used.

"I wonder what the gods have to say about time travel..." Tobi uttered jokingly outloud, surely he would have been punished by now. Maybe his punishment was living in the remains of what was.

Hazumi scoffed. "Ha, time travel...there's a lark! Oh dear me, my my this won't do at all." She sighed as another vision came into focus. "Apologies dearie, I have another warning to spout off to a firey young lady. You wouldn't happen to know a lass by the name of...something fall would you?" She tilted her head as she said it, she really had to leave in a hurry if she was going to locate her in time.

"Ah..." Tobi watched as the woman got out of the booth and did a hand stand. "Surely you don't mean miss Cinder Fall? She's...around I think? I don't know her well enough to know her patterns, she's...difficult to miss in a crowd though. I don't think you'll find her at any random night club." He thought about prying for details, but he had a feeling knowing too much would lead to danger. "Do take care I think? There's something...not quite right with her, though I can't put my finger on it. See you again sometime miss Hazumi." He finished with a sigh of relief, he was glad the woman was leaving him alone despite her giving him a valuable hint earlier.

"Oh yes yes sweetie, we will see eachother again very soon I think. Indeed I will be careful, she shouldn't be too much of a bother. After all she only stole half!" Hazumi stated playfully before starting to walk off while singing an odd melody.

"So...gonna introduce us to your lady friend champ?" Yang stated seriously with a big grin on her face, she looked somewhat exhausted.

"No, I don't think that's needed, call it a hunch but I get this disturbing feeling we'll see her again sometime." Tobi couldn't put a finger on it, but there really was something quite strange about that Hazumi lady.

"On what grounds?" Ruby questioned tilting her head, Tobi seemed moderately perterbed by something.

"She's a fortune teller? And she said so? But something else bothered me." Tobi crossed his arms and hummed in thought. "She chipperly claimed that Cinder wouldn't be too much trouble, and that she only stole half...half of what I wonder, and from whom. This is going to be bothersome to figure out." The woman was quite strange, but there seemed to be a method to her madness at least to him. He had chosen to be honest with them, only to be met with laughter.

"Don't tell me ya had a run in with the crazy old tea lady? She's always rambling on about avoiding this or that! She talks so fast I'm surprised you understood a word she said." Chrome had met the woman Tobi was talking about, she couldn't make heads or tails over tails with her.

Tobi sighed. "Enduring Ooblecks lectures have taught me a thing or two about translating incredibly fast talking, you would do well to do the same." He explained with a serious tone as he thought about it. "How...did you deal with the door?" He raised a brow as he noticed two angry bouncers approaching. "Don't tell me you knocked it down..." Tobi finished with a stern glare as he eyed the entrance of the club.

The second day of spending time with his temporary team was moving along slowly, but Tobi felt restless regardless. He had learned what fun was yesterday and surmised that it was exhaustion incarnate, but still worth the time invested. Today he found himself still musing over what Hazumi had said about Cinder. He was honestly more concerned that the old bat wasn't concerned. There was another matter though, over the past few weeks he'd felt eyes on him. Granted it was likely just concerned staff, but he still didn't like the feeling. Enduring the good doctor's lecture was a nice distraction honestly, at least until the moment the bell rang. Tobi crept out of his seat and attempted to reach the door unnoticed.

"Tobi. As an instructor it pleases me to see you...eager to spend more time with your classmates." Oobleck stated confidently as he took a sip of his coffee.

"But..." Tobi replied with an annoyed groan, he knew exactly what was coming.

"I have been observing you whenever we happen to cross paths. It's not my place to interfere, but I am...curious. Even with a smile on your face, you always appear to be...distant." Oobleck replied with a bit of seriousness in his tone.

"What of it?" Tobi turned to face the doctor. "If it's not your place, why even show concern doctor?" He asked with a bit of annoyance, teachers tended to get this way from time to time and he hated it.

"Because Tobi, as a professor of this academy it's my duty to ensure a bright future for even the most troubled youth. Hence my curiosity, so, why build so many walls?" Oobleck questioned with a raised brow as he thought about it. He was mainly concerned because even Belladonna had opened up to her team by this point.

"Are you aware of the function of walls doctor?" Tobi asked coldly, his interest in this conversation was fading fast.

"Walls have many uses, but their main use is protection. So Tobi, why struggle so hard to keep others out?" Oobleck was quite curious to be honest, Tobi seemed like an earnest young lad. And despite his misgivings, he was particularly driven.

"They aren't there to keep others out..." Tobi paused and leaned his back on the door. "They're to keep me...in. How well do you know Ozpin doctor?" He had the professor's interest at the moment, so he figured it would be harmless to ask.

Oobleck adjusted his glasses. "Well enough, though I hardly see his relevance to this conversation." That was a rather odd time to bring up the headmaster, but the personal way he said his name was quite intriguing.

"If it's one thing I have in common with the old fool, it's that we're both...passionate." Tobi paused as he thought for a moment. "I keep myself distant to protect not only myself, but those that I care about. I may look fairly harmless, but I've been to some...dark places, mentally I mean. Don't mistake my meaning, I still care about my classmates. But that so called distance protects me from honestly giving a damn. That good enough for you doctor?" He figured he could explain it using those words. If he mentioned how well he knew Ozpin and why, that would cause even more problems.

"I see..." Oobleck took a sip from his coffee. "Pardon me for asking, but what would you do if for example...an enemy forced you to...give a damn." He honestly felt the weight behind the boy's words, but he was intrigued by the deliberate use of that phrase.

Tobi reached out with an open hand. "Crush them, without mercy, or remorse feh...guess I got a little bit of S-miss Cinder in me too." He stated coldly as he clenched a fist with that same hand. He honestly wanted to say the s word, but mentioning her would certainly get him called to the office again. "Don't mistake my meaning, I'd still do it with honor, and straight murder is beneath me. Honestly I hate spilling blood at all if I can avoid it. But that wouldn't stop me from enjoying every bit of their humiliation." He paused and shrugged his shoulder. "Dark humor aside doctor, I really do care about my classmates, the lot of them...even Weis. I just...tend to get carried away sometimes, I am after all only human." He figured he could admit that much now that he was kind of being honest.

"Faccinating, that you have the place of mind to strike a delicate balance between light and dark tendancies and have the humility to admit you're human. However, as a professor, I do advise caution." Oobleck paused and nodded. "Emotion can grant us great power, but we must be wise enough not to lose ourselves to it. Furthermore, the odd bit of darkness can sometimes be useful; however I would suggest you focus more on the right thing to do. As you say, we are only human...and humans can...falter in the darkness." Oobleck was a bit surprised, Tobi was quite introspective for someone who couldn't properly comprehend emotion.

"I'll keep that in mind doctor, why the bloody hell do you think I ponder emotion so much? I can't very well tame something if I don't understand it now can I? Is that everything, I was going to ask miss Neopolitan something and I only see her with her team during lunch." Tobi finally let out a sigh of releaf, that did get rather dark for a hot minute there.

"That will be all I think, yes. However do make sure to take a break once in a while. Sometimes time away from a problem is the best way to find a solution. Rousing your semblance for example." Oobleck replied with a nod as he figured the boy was getting impatient.

Tobi was unsure if confiding in the good doctor was a wise move, it could have been his exhaustion talking. However his advice was sound and logical at the very least, and he had quite a bit of schoolwork to catch up on. The question now was if he'd missed his window to grab miss Neapolitan's attention for a moment. The headmaster seemed to trust the imported students fairly quickly, though Tobi never understood why. The end of the year was closing in fast, he had very little time to prepare for a particular event. Though that was weeks away, his current focus had to be on optimising his performance for the so called test mission. If a single screw or wire was out of place, it could cause drastic errors which could be life threatening.


	4. A Grimm Memory Pt 2

"This cord goes here, and that one-there." Tobi muttered to himself as he worked on the main circuitboard for his arm which housed the central processor for all three limbs.

Normally he'd ask Naya to help but he was on a strict time limit and he was about to meet up for his joint-team assignment later this afternoon. It was tricky working with one hand, and the precision required to make a full system reset wasn't lacking in tricky wiring either. Thankfully Naya had the forethought to color code everything making his life easier. Once all the wires were connected the last thing to do was slot the circuitboard back into its chamber.

"How strange-still some latancy that needs resolving. Hello Chrome." Tobi's attention was brought to his onlooker as he felt a very familiar weight on his shoulders.

"Even still? Geeze I'm never gonna sneak up on ya at this rate; what gave it away?" Chrome was surprised, he reacted to her faster than last time too.

"Is it wise to continue using your Semblance to attempt to arouse me? I'll be blunt, your bustline isn't as memorable as you think; but your constant teasing with your semblance is. If I may make a suggestion Chrom, that parlor trick is best used to boost your tips at your day job." Tobi had found out Chrome worked at a bar to help pay rent at her and Naya's part shop, he also knew she wasn't above using womanly wiles to earn an extra buck.

"Ow, what sorta moonlighting ya think I do? I serve drinks; not morons ya know?" Chrome stated as she folded her arms and backed off. "What's got you so grumpy anyway?" She had to admit he was a bit more snark than usual, an impressive feat given how he was usually monotone.

Tobi had to admit his critique of her flirty behavior was a bit cruel today, but that was what made it a bit of a game. Chrome liked teasing boys ad nauseum without any ill will, and the clever ones typically called her out on it. He knew she was a good mechanic and deep down she really was fairly harmless.

"This blasted latency-that's delayed response time; and I've had it since I initially woke up from stasis. I don't understand what's causing it either, I've repaired the circuits exactly as father once shown me every time." Tobi explained simply and concisely, hoping that she would understand.

"I see, and how did you and your old man get on?" Chromes fox ears perked up the minute Tobi mentioned his father, now she was interested.

"For lack of a better word; our relationship was...turbulent. What does that have to do with a delayed response times in my modifications to what's left of his hardware?" He was certain that she was merely pestering him for more personal details while he was vulnerable.

"His hardware you say? Interesting, how turbulent are we talking here?" Chrome raised a brow, that was certainly an odd word to use to describe a relationship with family.

"For lack of better phrasing? It was like being in the eye of a storm; everything was mostly peaceful, but the dangerous edge was always there. What does that have to do with my latency issue?" Tobi was a bit surprised she was making an effort to care, normally Chrom was aloof or even absentminded.

"Daddy issues, can't say I didn't see that one coming. Come on and open up mister stoic; I know exactly what the issue is, especially if the redesign was Naya's work." Chrome stated as she put a foot down on the back of the bench.

Tobi was perplexed now more than ever, Chrome really only ever showed concern for Naya. Her flirtatious behavior was mostly toward males, but she didn't seem to be flirting. After giving it some thought he decided to open up the main chamber of his prosthetic arm where the main circuitry was held.

"Make it quick; and what do you intend to do-oh, that." Tobi blinked as he watched his teammate shrink down to the size of one of those small army figurines and climb onto his shoulder.

"Trust me I got this one boss, I know Naya's handiwork like the back of my hand!" Chrome chimed playfully as she climbed into the chamber.

Once she was inside the arm Tobi elected to give her some privacy to avoid drawing unwanted attention to himself. He figured Chrome had all kinds of tools on her belt to allow her to work in the enclosed environment. Apparently this was how Naya was able to craft such fine circuitry work. After a few moments of anxiety ridden waiting he heard her banging on the outer shell for some fresh air.

"The latency...it is practically nonexistent, what on earth did you do?" Tobi rebooted his limbs program once Chrome was outside and back to normal size. He more than a little surprised what the tiny mechanic had accomplished.

"I re-soldered some of your contacts, loosened a coupla screws and replaced a bum wire that's been shorted for a week. Simple math really, you had all your gear wound up way too tight." Chrome stated with pride in her tone as she folded her arms.

"You...added imperfections? Excuse me for asking but-ow." Tobi bit his tongue mid sentence when Chrome bonked him on the head with her wrench.

"You're a dork ya know that? It's not just an arm, it's a _human_ arm, and humans ain't perfect man, or Faunus for that matter. The sooner you stop treating these three machines like well, machines the better, doctors orders!" Chrome had to admit his innocence was adorable at times but most of the time it made him kind of an idiot.

"An odd statement that; I never thought of my prosthetics as actual limbs. Perhaps your opinion does hold some value once in a while Chrome. My distaste for my father's procedure may have stunted my growth in understanding their limits as well." Tobi replied as he stood up and stretched a bit, making sure nothing else was out of order by inspecting the inner workings of his legs as he did.

"Dude, was it seriously that bad of an operation?" Chrome placed a hand on his left shoulder so he could sense the compassion.

"The operation went off without a hitch actually, I was completely unconscious most of the time. And what little time I was conscious was quite interesting with all the doctors patting themselves on the back." Tobi gently shrugged her hand off his shoulder after he finished stretching and turned to face her with a satisfied half grin on his face.

"Then why spite your old man so much? You're...a lot of words, but you don't really strike me as the grudge holding type." Chrome's ears twitched as she admitted that, figuring him out was like trying to solve one of those puzzle cubes with lots of colors.

"Ah, so that's what that sensation is called; jokes aside, try taking off a blindfold only to find your cybernetic limbs incomplete as you stand front and center at a board meeting. Sure the eggheads and business suits are clapping, but a majority of them are in the pocket of the military. Oh, and the head of the project, my father, felt the need to keep this a secret from both me and my mother." That part was what angered Tobi the most, that his father betrayed his mother at the drop of a hat.

To be honest he really didn't mind the military that much, he'd helped them complete plenty of projects growing up. But then that was the kicker, as far as he and his mother knew his limbs weren't a military project. Their passion for others had been taken advantage of, all to stroke his father's ego and line the pockets of the suits they were selling the project to.

"Ow, I bet you took that as well as Naya did when she found out what the military was using her research for. Long story short, you certainly don't want to see her pissy side, trust me the icey fireworks ain't worth the energy. Oh I unlocked a nice sub feature for your rail canon by the way, try it out maybe?" Chrome replied with some actual sympathy for once, considering he knocked the wind out of Yang unintentionally she did not want to see Tobi's rage mode active.

"Ah yes, one of those 'features' she mentioned a while back I presume?" Tobi searched his databanks for any new subroutines and found it. Once he activated it the spaces between his fingers began pulsing with an electrical current. "Ouch...painful, but non-lethal; and the use of this function is what exactly?" He questioned shaking off the sudden numbness from his organic hand. Granted he was expecting a shock, just not one so volatile or quick.

Chrome grinned a bit. "Stun gun, perfect for putting the hertz on some White Fang goons; it'll knock em out cold in seconds, harmlessly." She chimed with a bit of pride in her tone as she strained her brain a moment to make that pun work.

"Hertz is frequency Chrom, not intensity, that would be watts. Nice try anyway, er-good pupper...or something?" Tobi shut off the stun gun current before giving her a head pat for the effort. In her defense Yang was probably on the floor laughing regardless of the distance she was from that pun.

"Hey I like a good head pat as much as the next canine but do you seriously need to suck the fun out of everything you touch?" Chrome backed away from his head pat before her tail could impulsively wag, appreciation or not instincts were embarrassing.

Tobi crossed his arms to think for a second. "It's a bit of a hobby for us analytical, data hungry and number crunchy types." He sighed realizing that was a sad attempt at sarcasm. "In all seriousness is it any different from your womanly wiles being flaunted for amusement?" He questioned somewhat seriously as he raised a brow.

-[a week before the dance]-

Tobi wasn't confident enough in his leadership skills to lead the mismatched group. And over the course of the several hour long helicopter ride to their mission location he had many things to ponder. The first of which was why Ozpin was bothering with a so called dry run mission to begin with. The second was the fact that Ruby seemed to give him the evil eye, however briefly when she thought he wasn't paying attention. And most importantly what miss Hazumi had said about Cinder, something about her only taking half of something. That alone didn't trouble him, but paired with how she claimed Cinder wouldn't be much of a bother despite doing so.

"We should be arriving any moment now children. Miss Rose, please remind the group what your objective is for me." Ozpin was addressing the group through a monitor hanging from the ceiling of the helicopter during transport.

"To investigate the suspicious terrain activity in the abandoned dust mines!" Ruby stated in a chipper tone with her usual enthusiasm backing it.

"And?" Ozpin smiled coyly and leaned forward onto his desk as he spoke.

"Ugh, and if we encounter any sneaky sneak bad guys or dangerous Grimm we're supposed to abort mission immediately and return to the rondevu point as safely and quickly as possible." Ruby finished with her entire being oozing dejection or disappointment.

"Don't try to be too discouraged Rose, not every hunter mission is about breaking up a crime ring or bashing in bandits heads. Tobi...I see your gears turning, out with it." Ozpin smiled confidently as he spoke, there was a certain glint in his eyes.

Tobi sighed. "If there's something so precious in these mines, why can't you get it yourself? Also, you're smiling, again...I don't like it when you smile." He stated bluntly as he tapped his toe on the floor of the chopper while it began to land.

Ozpin chuckled. "Observant as ever." He paused and adjusted his glasses. "A certain...individual owns this land, and she's too...persnickety for my tastes. Honestly it'd be concerning if she took an interest in Rose. She's mostly harmless, but her hobbies are...dangerous. I merely need some dust samples from these mines alright, that good enough for you?" Ozpin spoke to Tobi as if he'd known him for ages.

Tobi shrugged and smirked. "What is it with you and dangerous women Ozzy? It's almost like you're cursed or something." He stated sarcastically as he watched Ozpin frown. "Oh my, did I strike a nerve? My apologies headmaster..." He had to admit that he'd gone a bit too far, but even Ozpin needed a reality check once in a while.

"Funny Tobi, very...funny. If you all don't mind I have an important meeting to get to. Just complete your mission and report back as soon as you're able." Ozpin replied in a very unamused tone as he cut the transmission.

As the chopper touched down to the ground the group remained silent for what seemed like an eternity. Tobi noticed that the three girls were looking at him funny, and not in a good way. Explaining things would take way too much time, so he was puzzled at what to say. After a few minutes passed you could cut the tension with a knife. Eventually he raised a hand up to speak, but found himself at a loss for words.

"So..." Yang spoke up first, dragging out the phrase as she put her hands together and stood up, slowly stepping out of the chopper.

"Awkward?" Ruby questioned sarcastically as she quickly scrambled to join Yang's side.

"Yup! Suuuper awkward! Let's just pretend that conversation didn't happen." Tobi wasn't surprised that Naya felt similarly to Ruby about the situation. She scrambled out of the chopper as well.

"Feh, Ladies, am I right?" The pilot quipped with a sarcastic tone as Tobi unbuckled his belt.

Tobi shrugged. "You...have no idea." He stated with a sigh of frustration as he got out of the chopper and joined his makeshift team.

After that incident, Tobi concluded it would be best to remain silent for the time being unless he was spoken to. He felt similar amounts of awe as the rest of the group as they entered the mineshaft. The whole structure was equally pristine and broken down, or rather it was sort of well preserved. Most of the probably original construction was still there. The girls seemed to relax more as they went deeper into the mines. The deeper they went, the more complex the paths became, thankfully their scrolls had GPS tracking and an old map of the place so they could keep track of what they were looking for. Every now and then Tobi felt something strange, like a sort of pulse through his body even his mechanical limbs.

"Did...you lot feel that just now?" Tobi raised a brow as it happened again, as if something inside of him had been stirred awake.

Naya shrugged. "What? The earth tremors? They're only registering a 0.1 on the richter scale on my scroll. Nothing to really worry about, mine shafts like this are built to last decades!" She replied in a chipper tone as if she was trying to reassure herself more than the others.

"N-no, and why do you have...nevermind. Not that...it's something else, it feels...like aura, but somehow...not. I can feel it...everywhere down here, it's suffocating almost. I'm not quite sure how to put it to words." Tobi really was puzzled, the feeling got stronger and occurred more frequently as they went deeper into the mines.

Yang walked over to Tobi. "You just did dude! Don't be so self conscious all the time. But if you must know, no, I don't feel anything weird like that. Hell, I can't even feel other people's auras...maybe you're just super sensitive to that stuff?" She stated seriously while she put a hand on his shoulder. It was interesting that Tobi bothered to speak up at all.

"Perhaps..." Tobi put a hand to his chin. "No, no...that's too unlikely, implausible even. There's no record of something like that." He blinked as he realized he was talking to himself. "S-sorry, do you lot think...maybe...something about this place is stirring my semblance?" At this point there were very few logical conclusions to make. Even if it was his semblance, he had no idea what the trigger was, nor how to use it as skilfully as these three did theirs.

"I mean, Nora's showed up when she didn't die after getting struck by lightning. So maybe, but...don't get your hopes too high, you could wind up with something boring like invisibility. It's not like..." Naya paused as a sparkle caught her eye in the more broken down shafts. "Eee! A fresh dust vein! And this stuff looks super pure too! Guys I bet if we follow the vein we'll find loads of fire dust!" Naya could barely contain her excitement when she checked the readings with her scroll.

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Uh...you want us to go down that path? The one with broken, flickering lantern lighting and derelict support beams?" Ruby questioned sarcastically as she watched small rocks fall from the ceiling of said shaft with the latest tremor.

"Yeah, let's all hold a vote on that." Yang took a step backward when a blood curdling monster roar howled through the remaining tunnels.

"All who vote we go down the path without the echoing creepy growling?" Tobi raised a hand as he spoke, not really being sure what to think of those howls.

"I vote yes!" Ruby stated as she rushed in front of the group to head down the tunnel.

"It was my idea in the first place!" Naya quickly joined Ruby at her side without hesitation.

Yang grinned. "Come on guys it's not that ba-" Her face went pale as the howls came once more, sounding much closer this time. "On second thought, derelict tunnel diving it is!" She joined her little sister without giving it a second thought.

"The fickle nature of females is quite...amusing." Tobi stated quietly underneath his breath as he joined the rest of his group.

As the group proceeded to explore the tunnel further, the thin vein of dust crystal became slightly wider. Tobi ran his organic hand along the vein as he walked, making note of when he felt the strange pulses. The pulses seemed to radiate from the dust itself, but that couldn't be possible could it? Certainly not, despite the fact that dust contained a great deal of energy within, it typically required an outside source to access or expel said energy. The faintest memory Tobi had of his semblance was that it had something to do with light, but what role did dust play in this fact?

"Hold a moment, just what are we looking for exactly? Ozpin said to look for unusual dust, but to me all dust is unusual. It was still hard to obtain back in my time." Tobi paused for a moment as he felt another pulse. There was no doubt about it, something deep inside him had awoken.

"I dunno? Maybe some new kind of dust that hasn't really been found naturally yet?" Naya replied tilting her head to the side as she thought about it. "This vein is a pretty odd color, I don't think I've seen dust that's blood red before. I mean fire dust of course, but it's not usually this dark." She was fairly certain that fire dust was more milky and clear than this dust was.

"The dust has grown deadly due to the tea chugging wench girlie. Her experiments have made a frightful mess of my lair." The voice came from behind the group as the lights went dark all of a sudden.

Naya's ears twitched backward. "Please tell me that was Tobi doing a creepy voice just to spook us." She stated nervously as she slowly turned around to face the direction the voice came from.

"Well I could admit to that, but I'd be lying." Tobi turned around as well, prepping his arm canon to fire when ready. "Enough games, reveal yourself and no harm will come to you intruder." He had to admit he was feigning ignorance once more, like he did with Tenebres.

The group slowly stepped backward as several footsteps came forward. It was not a man, it was a very large Grimm. It was around the size of a Death Stalker, it had eight legs and a large thorax. The unknown creature was essentially a giant bone plated spider. It seemed to move with purpose and intent, far from the instinctive behaviors of regular Grimm. The beast seemed to have seen many battles, as there were gashes and scars across various points in the bone armor. It had large pincer like fangs. And it reeked the scent of blood, as if it had recently claimed a victim.

The Grimm cackled. "Surprised? This one is not. Not all of my kin were driven mad by the witch. I'm one of the lucky...few." It's voice was hollow, void of any kind of emotion. Even Tobi's speaking had more tone and inflictions than it and that was saying something. "Gehehe. How...lucky, I haven't feasted on your type in ages. Little red welp, perhaps I will eat you first." It was seemingly pleased at such a prospect, despite its monotone voice.

"My...type? What's so special about me?" Ruby raised a brow as she thought aloud, she'd never considered an intelligent Grimm before.

"Gee...I wonder Rose, it's almost like every important person you meet comments on it." Tobi stated adjusting his glasses. "You sure you don't want to eat me first? I'm high in iron, its good for strong bones." He paused and shrugged when he saw the awkward faces his team were giving him. "What, I make morbid jokes when I'm nervous..." He stated awkwardly as he crossed his arms, he had his own questions.

"Got it in one. It would be best to eat her first, before her eyes...ripen. It would be bad to have yet another of your ilk in the world. We Grimm fear little, but there is one thing all Grimm know to fear. Pathetic humans with silver eyes, they aren't quite as pathetic...and that's putting it mildly." The Grimm stated with a little bit of amusement in its tone, saliva dripped from its mandibles as it spoke.

Naya raised a hand. "Question!" She spat it out quickly. "Do Grimm...go to the bathroom? Ever?" She was mostly being a wise ass, but she had to admit that she was curious.

"We finally meet one that talks and that's your stupid question of the day?" Yang questioned Naya as if she were a disappointed mother.

Tobi grinned. "Better question, do Grimm have preferences? There doesn't seem to be any logic in which humans you lot choose to attack." Tobi was also kind of being a wise ass, at least his question made a bit more sense than Naya.

"The iron legged one, no we do not have...preferences. Food is food, we feast on whatever fancies us in the heat of the moment..." It turned its focus to Naya. "Seriously? We are biological weapons, we don't feel remorse or expel waste." It stated with a bit of annoyance in its tone.

"Well, I've had my fill of random facts for the day. Let's kill it." Tobi stated bluntly as he cracked his knuckles.

"But professor Ozpin..." Ruby paused, it wasn't like Tobi to rush into something blindly.

Tobi shrugged. "Said nothing about a Grimm smart enough to speak. Surely it can't handle all four of us at once." He was itching to fight something since the mission began, he wasn't exactly thrilled to be doing a boring old recon mission.

"Impudent brat, barely old enough to walk and you think you can-hey!" The Grimm flinched when Ruby fired her riffle at while it was talking.

Ruby cringed a bit. "My bullet just bounced right off. It's bone plating is way harder than the stuff we usually fight...in...training." She shifted Crescent Rose back into it's scythe form. "You're intelligent enough to talk, you're smart enough to tell there's four of us. Surely you see that conflict wouldn't be worth the energy." She stated with a bit of seriousness, surely it had some form of survival instinct.

"The witch may have been on to something consuming dust to enhance her prowess. I should have killed her when I had a chance to, now she's even more of a pain. Sadly, the scent of a silver eyed one has made me peckish." The Grimm clearly wasn't interested in a peaceful solution to this situation, and it was also somewhat arrogant.

"Which Witch are we talking about here? I only know of...one. Either way, you would do well not to underestimate a student of Ozpin, much less four of them. I speak from experience, this is your last chance to walk away alive friend." Tobi was fairly certain the Grimm meant that Hazumi woman. He wasn't even sure the other candidate was still alive or not.

"Oddly civil for a buncha hunters in training. All this talking has made me...hungry, so do be good little children and die peacefully." The Grimm was essentially taunting them now, hoping they would indeed become reckless.

Naya winced. "Do you want us on a platter, glazed, baked in an oven or...?" She stopped when she got a weird look from the rest of the team. "What? I'm nervous!" As if that was any excuse to joke like that, she was too freaked out by the fact that it could talk.

"Cut the chatter. Ruby, use your speed to keep it occupied. Naya, do what you can to pin it down. Yang...uhm...get angry and punch something?" Tobi was familiar with how Yang sparred, but he hadn't seen her combat with her teammates at all.

"What? That's not *all* I do!" Yang was slightly annoyed, even more so when Ruby did her best to hide a snicker. "Not. Helping. Sis." She stated with frustration chucking a small rock at her. "Fine, but it's not like I can just get angry whenever I want!" They had to admit to that much at least, although she had to admit her buttons were rather big and easy to push.

Naya grinned evilly. "That's okay, just pretend he sees you as something you're clearly not." She knew there was one blatantly obvious insult the creature could go with.

"Like what?" Yang raised an eyebrow as she spoke, did Naya really think she was that easy to piss off?

"A blonde haired bimbo? I'm pretty sure his body language is giving off those vibes!" Naya didn't hesitate to say that at all, partially because she really believed it.

"Ok, I'm not that easy to piss off...all the time..." Yang was trying to hold back her anger, and not doing a good job at hiding it.

"I'll admit I haven't feasted on someone so...juicy in a long time...perhaps I'll save you for last." The Grimm stated sarcastically, even though it had just fed on humans a few days ago.

"That's it! You better change your name to mince meat, cause that's what you'll be when I'm done with you." Yang replied back with frustration in her tone as she charged forward while cracking her knuckles.

Tobi winced. "I'm surrounded by morons..." He uttered quietly as he powered up his arm canon and took a fighting stance.

Fighting in quarters this close was quite complicated to be quite honest. The tunnel was long enough that they could bolt to either side of the beast and attempt to strike it. But the Grimm was so big that attacking it from the side was hardly an option. The mixed up team was pretty dysfunctional, one would be attempting to strike while the other was in the line of fire. Tobi had a difficult time even finding an opening to take a shot. Ruby managed to get her scythe crammed in a small crack in the Grimm's armor but she was quickly bucked off without much effort. Naya freaked out when the Grimm fired some sort of thread at her, and spend a good while untangling from it. Yang's blows were doing next to nothing other than leaving burn marks from close impact gauntlet fire. The beast thrashed about enough times that the walls opened up a little bit, but that proved to be a hindrance as there were now small boulders littered about the tunnel. It seemed like the harder they tried to work together the easier the beast trounced any attempt to strike it down. Even when Tobi found a decent shot to make he had so little time to aim that the beam just kind of skated across the Grimm's thorax. Eventually the beast managed to find a way to block their path better.

"So...this is going well..." Yang was for once a little exhausted, she underestimated how taxing it would be to fight in cramped quarters like this.

"Still...super gross." Naya was incredibly uncomfortable, even after getting the last of the string off of her clothes.

Tobi sighed. "It's Ozpin's fault things are going this pear shaped." He stated bluntly as the group started falling back deeper into the mines.

"Do you blame everything bad on Ozpin?" Ruby asked seriously as she fired off another shot, it still just plinked off the Grimm's armor like it was nothing.

"Just the things that his decisions ultimately lead to." Tobi wasn't even trying to hide his bitterness that time. Time Travel indeed, it wasn't all that greater than a standard cryo chamber.

"As I stated before, you pests are barely old enough to walk. Now stop fighting and give up already!" The Grimm was showing clear signs of agitation, it had to admit that none of it's prey had lasted this long before.

This creature was disgusting, Grimm were already somewhat unnerving but this thing was beyond sickening. The way it scuttled forward made Tobi's skin crawl. He already hated arachnids, a Grimm version made it even worse. The worst part was the extra large mandibles, they too were bone plated. For the most part, the inside edges near the jaw seemed to have exposed flesh or something like it anyway. He formulated a quick plan to help his teammates escape, it wasn't perfect but he had little choice.

"Rose, when I make my move take the rest of the team and bolt..." Tobi stated bluntly, his face was visibly pale at the thought of getting that close to that thing.

"And leave you behind, are you crazy?" Ruby questioned seriously with some amount of shock in her tone as she spoke.

Tobi shrugged. "You see any other options? Now get ready!" He powered up his taser function and connected it to the power core for his arm cannon. "Hey bug-face, I'm gonna show you wat's up." He rushed forward, jammed his mechanical arm into the jaws of the Grimm and fired the tazer. Sending a powerful surge of electricity directly into the beast.

"Ugh...seriously, that's my job!" Yang groaned in annoyance as she rolled her eyes. It honestly wasn't that bad of a joke, but now wasn't the time.

"Impudent whelp! Unhand...me this...instant!" Tobi was surprised that the Grimm could speak cohesively while being surged with electricity.

"Not gonna happen." Tobi stated as he cranked up the juice. "Now or never girls, get your asses in gear and get help already." He added seriously with annoyance in his tone.

Naya and Yang nodded and snuck past the thrashing Grimm when they had the chance. As they did another tremor struck the mines. At the same time the Grimm's thrashing was crashing against the support beams for the section of the tunnel that they were in. Ruby started to retreat with Yang and Naya, paused, then ran back to Tobi's side of the fight. The ceiling was threatening to come down at any moment. Tobi was dumbfounded, why on earth would she come back to aid him.

"I'm...a leader too, I can't abandon a teammate just to save my skin. We can...fight this thing off together!" Ruby changed Crescent Rose into its gun form and lined up a shot. "I just need a perfect shot." She finished seriously as she prepared to pull the trigger.

"Nieve little...I said get going before it's too-" Tobi winced when the beast tore away from his gripp with great force, severely damaging his arm. Once it was free, it quickly burrowed deep into the ground just in time for the cave to collapse on around them.

Both pairs had to retreat in opposite directions to get away from the rubble in time. Tobi had no idea how far apart the two pairs were but he had a feeling they were still in the same shaft. Though discouraged he immediately dusted himself off once he regained his senses. Ruby on the other hand had immediately began to pace the floor with haste. He wasn't overtly concerned at the moment since his scroll still had bars somehow. After he collected himself he sighed in frustration as he realized something.

"Bah, a feisty arachnid and a rocky endeavor indeed..." Tobi paused to check the damage to his arm, thankfully it was mostly internal and could be repaired. "Rose? You should probably stop pacing, at this rate you'll wear a hole in the floor." He finished seriously as he watched her movements further, she seemed more anxious than normal.

Ruby scoffed. "Oh what, you're going to tell me not to panic next? Because this is a perfectly good time to panic!" She snapped irritably as she tapped her foot on the ground while she tried to calm down.

Tobi put a hand to his chin. "Really? And why is that?" He was genuinely curious, since panicking was in general a waste of energy and brain power.

"Hello? We're hundreds of feet underground? Frequent Tremors? No bars of reception? Talking Grim? Limited Oxygen? Naya and Yang could be seriously hurt? Who knows how old support structures for the whole place? Any of that ringing a bell?" Ruby replied with a sigh of frustration, at times Tobi played a genius, but he really was quite dense otherwise.

"Our Scrolls still have good local reception, so we can contact them at any time. It's a mineshaft so duh. The tremors didn't cause the cave in alone. Panicking expedited the oxygen depletion. And mineshafts are built to last centuries. And that Grimm isn't invincible. Anything else you want to get off your chest?" Tobi had elected to cross his arms as he spoke, probably to indicate he was taking her comment seriously.

Ruby took a deep breath. "I heard this really weird rumor that Ozpin sent an untrained huntress on a suicide mission, and she died. I've never heard about you getting angry before and the one time I did hear about it you hurt Yang. Do you have *any* idea how hard that is? I heard Naya goes crazy when she's stressed out. And if I'm stressing out that means she's definitely stressing out! And on top of that, you moved faster than me!" Saying it all in one breath made her wonder how Ooblecks lungs even functioned.

"Ah, Yang told you about that." Tobi shrugged slightly. "Two things: First...it takes a special...something to incite my anger and frankly neither you or your sister have it. Second, in my defense her aura at the time was pretty well spent, what little she had wasn't strong enough to weather the blow. As for that rumor, Ozpin wouldn't send you to your death. He's many things, but barring his personal obsessions, sinister isn't one of them. As for Naya I'm pretty sure she's only triggered by very particular impulses as well. Exhaustion does expedite those impulses, but from what I understand common stress isn't enough to trigger that...state of being." He explained seriously with a sigh as he said it.

"So...how...do you know professor Ozpin?" Ruby asked curiously as she decided to calm down a little bit and change the subject.

Tobi tilted his head slightly. "Eh? What brought that up all of a sudden?" He was much less caught off guard and more surprised. True Ruby was the nosey type but she also didn't seem to pry unless it was relevant.

"I dunno, it's like...even the grown ups are super intimidated by him. And you're...clearly not, you talk to him like I talk to Blake or Weis. It's...weird, and he talks to you like you're so...familiar." Ruby replied seriously with confusion in her tone, she was genuinely curious. Particularly that snide comment about a curse.

Tobi shrugged. "Ozpin carries himself in such a way that unaware types are distinctly paranoid of how knowledgeable he is, especially those in power. I personally don't blame them, the similarities between him and...someone from my era are striking. Call me crazy, but it feels like the two people are one in the same. Perhaps Ozpin senses this, and behaves acordingly...just like how he reads everyone like a damn book." He crossed his arms and sighed. "I don't trust him as far as I can throw him. He's too smart, and he has too many powerful people nearly in his pocket, including you. Take my advise Rose, he is not what he seems." He was pretty sure Ozpin's ears were burning at the moment, there was no way that he could get away with saying that openly in front of him.

"Okay...not the gossip worthy answer I expected..." Ruby slouched forward as she said it. "You know you're super weird. Sometimes you're short and curt and other times you give way too much detail. Can't you ya know, make up your mind?" She had to admit she was just venting at this point. "Also what's with using my last name, you seem super selective of who you call by their first name." Well she might as well get some information for the rest of her friends while he was feeling talkative.

Tobi chuckled. "Oddly inquisitive today aren't we?" He shrugged and thought for a moment. "I...don't really know honestly. I've always been...cold...logical, to a fault even. This whole friendship concept may as well be an alien language to me. I always felt the need to be formal until I really got a good read on someone. Lately things seem...different, I'm acting more impulsively...making...friends, and finding myself paralyzed by choice. Frankly I'm done with it, sometimes I wish I could go back to the old me but that just won't happen. People often say I think too much, but I can't help it...is that a satisfactory answer?" He stated as he raised a brow at her, now things were getting kind of personal.

"Just...one more question, why is it so bad for you to make ya know...friends? Even Ren finds company when he's in the mood. I'm sure your team would be super hype if you just accepted them." Ruby had to admit that was a bit blunt, but she had to get it off her chest. Again, it was rare that Tobi was quite this open for discussion about personal matters.

"..." Tobi clenched a fist. "Emotion for me can be...dangerous, particularly...attachment. It's not nearly as bad as I once was, but...I am uncertain." He sighed as he shrugged it off. "Let's just say you don't want to see my bad side, even Ozpin seems cautious of it. For good reason, once I get started...it's...difficult to stop. Like that instance with Yang for example. Are we done talking, we should be contemplating a way out of here." He really didn't want to go any further than that. Bringing up some of his past brought on some painful emotions.

Ruby shrugged. "You said yourself you aren't the same as you were before right? Maybe that part of you changed just like the rest has. As for a way out, can't you ya know, pew pew with your arm canon?" She wondered why he hadn't thought of that idea before even asking about it.

"Right Right, because my rail canon is totally that powerful. It can't even pierce a simple electro magnetic force field. I could use it, but I already burned up today's charge on that little zap attack on our wizened Grimm friend." He paused and crossed his arms. "Still, we do know it's fleshy bits are vulnerable to attacks now. I wonder how best we could use that knowledge." He finished with a bit of seriousness in his tone.

"Doesn't matter if his fleshy bits are vulnerable if the stupid thing won't hold still. You're sure you can't use your arm canon to I dunno, blast holes in his head through his eyes?" Ruby questioned with a raised brow, it seemed like Tobi's weapon was shot for the day even with repairs.

Tobi shrugged. "I've never lowered the diameter of the beam quite that small before so even if I could I'd be concerned it would overload the circuitry. Still...there may be a way...if only..." He bit his lip as the thought crossed his mind, it burned so badly that he was so close yet so far.

"So we just gotta brute force your semblance! No other way around it but that right? You did say you had a theory on what your semblance was in class once." Ruby stated with her usual blind confidence as she sat down for a moment.

"I wish I had your confidence..." Tobi stated with mild frustration. "I know my semblance has something to do with light, dust, and the energy stored within dust. I also know that my aura somehow resonates with that energy allowing me to manipulate it after today's experiences. Many semblance users tell me to just 'feel it'. But what am I supposed to 'feel' and how am I meant to use that?" He had to admit he was rather confused, the instructors and classmates clearly weren't talking about emotion.

"Gah! You...think like _way_ too much. Seriously! Stop _thinking_ and start _doing_!" Ruby shouted quickly without thinking, this part of Tobi's personality was super annoying to deal with.

"Bah, Ozpin said the same...but I..." Tobi trailed off, he wasn't even sure why he was so unsure about his theory. The logic was sound, he just hadn't worked out how to apply that physically.

"No Buts! Not even Chrome's perfect butt, just freakin do it already." Ruby was mostly joking about Chrome, though she did catch Blake staring longingly once.

"Heh, I'll be telling her you said that..." Tobi had to admit Ruby wasn't lying. "My arm canon just finished internal repairs, so I may as well give it a go." One of Naya's little tools had also just updated as well in the process of repairs. It would be useful for the current task so he decided to test it out.

First Tobi chiseled out some dust samples from the large vein of dust in the wall. Then he used the new laser cutter to carve the larger chunks into smaller roughly bullet shaped hunks. He then organized them from most clear to least clear just for the sake of it. Finally he cleared his mind of any excess thoughts, raised a hand over one of the bullets and focused on it. He didn't think, he didn't feel, he was entirely focused on the energy within the dust.

"Come on, come on..." He muttered quietly as he intensified his focus further.

Slowly the dust crystal he was focusing on started to give off a glow. First it was very faint, then it grew more noticable. As the glow grew brighter, the crystal began to rise off the ground. At first it struggled to lift off the ground even slightly, but then it glowed brighter and brighter. Tobi could feel the energy inside the dust compounding as the crystal rose to his open palm. It got so bright that it actually managed to add some extra light to the dimly lit room. Tobi felt a bit of excitement, but then the dust crystal cracked before exploding into powder.

"Dammit. So close..." Tobi was completely flustered, he couldn't even put what he felt just then to words. It was an entirely new sensation, even different from the short bursts of energy he felt in the quakes earlier.

"So...what...the hell...was that?" Ruby blinked as she processed exactly what had happened. She knew damn well most dust couldn't levitate on it's own let alone spontaneously explode into powder.

Tobi sighed. "As I said before, it appears to me that I have some...connection to the energy within dust. I can...'feel' it, draw it out, amplify it...but it goes beyond that. I think...I can expel that energy somehow, all I need to do is find the trigger." He was mostly talking out of his ass at the moment, but that had to be it. There was no other way to explain that little parlor trick.

"What did I say about thinking too much? Just try stuff until it works! That's what most noobie superheros do in their origin stories!" Ruby was now absolutely curious about what Tobi could do with that energy.

"Again, I wish I had your confidence..." Tobi uttered begrudgingly as he thought about it. "Still, you have a valid point. Perhaps I should change my approach." He was determined this time, he was so close it was within arms reach.

This time he repeated the process, using his organic hand instead of his mechanical one. Once he had a sort of grip on the energy inside the dust, he changed his focus. Instead of amplifying it further, he envisioned several different motions. Opening a door didn't work, pressing a gas pedal didn't work, hell even pretending his hand was a pistol didn't work. It was infuriating, being so close yet still so far.

"Dammit, fire already!" Tobi blurted it out by accident in his frustration. As if responding to his anger, the energy inside the dust compounded at the tip of the dust crystal before spiraling forward. It was effectively a bolt of raw energy. When it made contact with the boulder in front of him, the blast dissipated and left a red hot burn mark on the stone.

"Huh, neat." Ruby commented after processing exactly what Tobi had just done to the dust.

"That's...all you have to say? All that energy wasted, and all you say is 'neat'?" Tobi raised a brow at Ruby as he spoke. At least he didn't feel exhausted like he thought he would after using it.

"What? You wanted a gold star from Goodwitch? So you figured out how it works, and that's neat. But no way that pitiful display is useful for combat." Ruby had to admit she was being awfully blunt, but she wanted to motivate Tobi into trying harder to work his semblance. "We're trapped here in a cave with jack all to do until we're rescued, so you might as well get on it." She finished with a big grin on her face.

"Point taken, and here I thought I was the blunt one." Tobi sighed. "If we're going to train, I'm going to need more dust crystals. Thankfully we're stuck in just the right place." He was grateful for that at least, being trapped underground was the only downside here.

*meanwhile*

Naya's tail twitched fervently as she paced back and forth. They had thankfully outran the collapsing ceiling and managed to escape unharmed. The only problem was that they were now trapped, with no reception outside of the mines themselves. She knew there was at least fifty feet of rubble between them and the other half of the team. The boulders would take days to move at minimum if they manually moved them out of the way.

Yang crossed her arms. "Dude, can you chill?" She stopped talking as the area got noticeably colder. "Ohhh...right, ice powers. Um? Calm your tits then? We'll get help somehow." She had to admit that the pun was unwarranted and inappropriate for the situation at hand. Deep down, she had to make the joke anyhow.

"I would if I had a pair!" Naya snapped sharply with frustration. "Sorry, sorry...unexpected isolation makes me edgy. This cave in was bad enough that it should have tripped some kind of security alarm if the mines even have one. I'm not worried about us though, we can get out just fine." She sighed as she turned her attention to the rubble blocking the way.

"That Tobi kinda crumbles under pressure doesn't he? It's kinda interesting that he acts all confident and unbreakable but you know...breaks so easy. It was pretty easy to mess with him the other day. Poor guy didn't even know what a size four was." Yang knew Tobi had several social shortcomings but she had no idea it was quite that bad.

"He does fold pretty easily, but it's really something else how quickly he recovers. Logically I bet he's already figured out how to off that stupid bug. He's gonna expect us to be a well oiled machine the next time we fight it." Naya stated seriously as she crossed her arms to think about it.

Yang took a step back. "Seriously? He's only seen our team in an actual fight like, a good five minutes! That...does sound like him, dudes got serious chops when it comes to deciphering fighting techniques." She paused after her selective hearing picked up the rest of what she said. "Wait, you actually want to fight that thing again?" She always figured Naya was a timid little wallflower, but she had some real quirks.

"You know, some Grimm are actually kinda cute. But that thing, no, it can rot in hell. Anything that knows about Ruby like that should be dealt with anyway. Don't tell me you aren't concerned?" Naya stated as she thought about it. "The surprise in your tone earlier really told me you have no clue do you?" She finished tilting her head to the side a little as she said it.

"Are my sister's eyes really that huge a deal?" Yang stated with curiosity in her tone, she didn't like the condescending tone just then. But Naya had a point, she really knew jack all about her sister's eyes.

"You heard it too right? That dumbass spider made a big deal about finishing her off 'early' for crying out loud. As for why her eyes are important, I really shouldn't tell you...but..." Naya trailed off, she'd done plenty of research years ago on silver eyes. Not research that she wanted to do, she was more or less forced to.

"Ca...ou...he..us?" Naya jumped out of her skin when her scroll activated as she was about to open her big mouth.

"Yo! We can but the receptions kinda borked, glad to know you're safe." Yang stated playfully after swiping the scroll out of Naya's hand.

There was a brief pause. "Better? I modified the frequency a little, should function just fine down here for now." Tobi replied calmly despite the situation. "Guess what, Tobi figured out his semblance! And it's really cool!" Ruby chimed with excitement in her tone. "I thought you said it was only neat..." Tobi quipped with annoyance in his tone. "Yeah but that was before we figured out how it worked." Ruby stated with a more serious tone than usual.

"That's...cool I guess? I mean what exactly is it?" Naya asked with a raised brow, Tobi seemed uninterested in it at the moment.

"It does...this." Tobi replied seriously, the sound of a laser pistol could be heard, along with an energy bolt ricocheting around a few times. "Hey! WARN me before you do that!" Ruby snapped sharply with annoyance in her tone. "You're pretty fast, I figured you would duck..." Tobi answered with a smug tone.

"You do know these scrolls aren't video phones right?" Yang stated bluntly with a bit of confusion in her tone.

"Ah, yes, lost technology, completely forgot about that." Tobi replied in jest, though they did have hologram decks now as well. "Why don't you lot make your way back to us, so when that abomination does return we can kill it and be done with this horrid place." He asked seriously without considering the obstacle between them.

"Oh sure, let's move hundreds of pounds of solid rock out of the way." Naya moaned sarcastically as she examined the stone barrier between them. "This is mostly sandstone and clay, but it's packed so tightly that simply frosting it over wouldn't do jack to it." She finished with a lack of hesitation, Tobi was stubborn sometimes.

"Can't you just, freeze the water particles already inside the stone and make it more brittle? Yang could easily shatter it then, think of it as concentration training." Tobi didn't waste time on a strategy to move things along quicker.

"That would take hours!" Naya remembered her concentration training at the research facility, training until the point of passing out wasn't pleasant.

"As opposed to dying of oxygen deficiency over the course of a few days waiting for proper rescue teams to arrive?" Tobi questioned with a taunting tone in his voice, hoping to push her along with his plan.

Naya groaned. "Why do you gotta be so practical all the time? Fine! But Yang's gotta pull her weight too!" She finished seriously with annoyance in her tone, it wouldn't be quite that bad if she could keep calm.

"Punch a few rocks? Easy!" Yang was itching to get going so they could get out of the mines honestly.

"Ohhhh no, you aren't getting off that easy. In order for this plan to work you need to hit every frozen boulder pile at exactly the right point with exactly the right amount of force. Otherwise they won't shatter completely, and we'll have to do each pile more than one time." Naya quipped sarcastically with a little bit of a sinister tone.

"Wait? I have to do math, to punch rocks?" Yang wasn't the least bit interested in crunching the numbers herself.

"I'll do the math, you do the punching." Naya was somewhat amused how quickly Yang's interest in the task dwindled once math was involved.

Tobi chuckled a little. "You two will be cogs in a machine before you know it." He paused for a moment. "While you two work on that, I'll consider seeing about testing my theory about Ruby's potential ability to run through solid walls." He finished seriously as he prepared to end the call. "You think I can WHAT?" Ruby's voice was cut off at the last minute, though she was clearly in shock.

"He thinks Ruby can run through walls...damn, he's tenacious if anything else. I'd hate to be on his shit list though, he's way too quiet and collected for that to be a dangerous side to see." Yang was a little surprised by that statement, more so how confidently he brought it up.

Naya tilted her head. "You think so? I'm not so sure I'd worry about that. If he's anything like me, it takes a certain...quality to get on his shit list. Anyway we better get moving before he convinces Ruby to ram herself face first into a rock." She was certain of this, despite her short time knowing Tobi. He didn't seem like the type to get bent out of shape over just any old thing.

That being said, the task ahead wasn't an easy one. Not only were each pile of rubble uniquely shaped, but the rocks were in different formations as well. So each pile of rocks needed a separate calculation. At the very least Yang seemed to understand the angles and pressure required, even if she didn't understand the math. Any time Naya felt on edge she took a deep breath and counted to ten, it was surprisingly effective at melting that sensation away. Using her semblance for extended periods was frustrating because the exhaustion put her in a particular mood. That mood was kinda locked away with hypnosis and a safety word, but when it did get out she got kinda murdery.

"I still don't get it, what does mass and acceleration have to do with how solid something is?" Ruby questioned seriously with her arms crossed, all this science talk was kind of confusing to her.

"All you need to know is that if your atoms vibrate at just the right frequency and move at exactly the right speed, you can pass through solid matter. Oh...but only for an incredibly short period of time, maintaining such a travel speed for too long can be...dangerous, even for you." Tobi made it clear with his tone rather than his words, this was a feat not to be taken lightly.

"Has...anyone ever done that before? I can't have been the only person with super speed right?" Ruby asked out of curiosity, she hadn't thought of someone having the same powers as hers.

"In my time there was a speedster who could do that...in...a comic book..." Tobi felt bad leading her astray, but he had to admit she at least had the potential.

"So you have no proof it'll work? Oh well, I got nothing better to do with my time so I might as well try." Ruby stretched her muscles before beginning to take a running start.

"You realize what 'in theory' means correct?" Tobi questioned seriously as he felt the room get a slight bit chilly.

"Nope! Proving that I can do it is gonna be awesome! Don't try to stop me." Ruby chimed confidently as she started to focus on her ability.

Tobi crossed his arms. "I mean if I don't, the wall probably will." He stated with a chuckle. "You have talent Rose, but you aren't quite there...yet." Tobi had noticed the rocks behind them icing over as he spoke.

"Yet? Come on, now you're just encouraging me more. Just watch, I'm gonna go right through...hurk." Ruby was cut off when something had grabbed her scarf, almost choking her as the rest of her body slipped out from under her.

"Hold it right there squirt, just think how annoyed dad is gonna be when he finds out you concussed yourself trying to imitate a comic book." Yang had stopped her sister's stride just in time, she could sense her semblance building for a second there.

"Yang! I'm super glad we didn't die of oxygen whatever!" Ruby rushed to her sister's side to hug her as she spoke.

"Ugh, sisterly bonding..." Naya was physically and mentally exhausted, and watching the two sisters was annoying in this state.

Tobi smirked. "Don't be like that, you'd react the same way if you were separated from Chrome like that." He paused and approached her calmly. "There there, you did a great job getting through all those rocks to save us." He stated with a soft grin as he gently rubbed the top of her head with his hand. Making sure to scratch her behind the ears a bit with each pass.

"I guess so..." Naya started to feel all warm and fuzzy for a moment. "H-hey! I never said you could pet me like that...w-weirdo." She jerked away from him after realizing she was still purring. Stupid animal instincts, always getting ahead of her.

"Oh what, you don't like him petting you?" Yang questioned with a smug grin. "I've never tried to pet Blake, she'd...probably break my wrist if I did." She paused and hummed in thought. "Maybe it's a sign he trusts you enough to not snap at him all paranoid or something. Didn't seem to me like he was patronising you or whatever." She finished with a bit of seriousness in her tone.

"It's not that, it's just-" Naya turned beat red. "I'm really only used to Chrome petting me, so it's kinda weird when someone else does it. Is that weird? I feel like it's kind of weird, maybe I am paranoid." She had to admit that she didn't seem to mind Tobi petting her. There didn't seem to be any malice behind his movements.

"How about a compromise then?" Tobi put a hand to his chin. "I'll only pet you if I have permission to do so, or if you really need it. I realize I'm not Chrome, but as our team's leader it's my duty to comfort my team when I can." He wasn't sure this was the right move, but at the very least he could settle for this until she trusted him more.

"Hmm?" Naya crossed her arms for a moment. "I guess I'm a little jumpy cause I'm exhausted. I can accept that, but I don't know what you mean when I 'need' it?" She was slightly confused by that statement. As far as she could tell Tobi was a stoic, so how would he know when she needed it?

"I'm stoic, not heartless, even I know when someone needs a hug. It's difficult to explain in words, but my stoic ness is purely external...if that makes sense?" Tobi explained with a bit of confusion in his tone.

Naya tilted her head. "So what, when confronted with emotions you get I dunno, paralyzed by choice or something? So you'd rather not emote at all? How did you deal with that before?" She was certain he'd explained it briefly before but he was pretty kurt with his answer.

"Precisely. And, you recall removing a chip from my brain stem during my repairs yes? That chip was a stimulant, it sort of overridded the chemical signals from my brain whenever negative emotions were in play. However it didn't take long for the flaws of that system to show. The researchers were quick to sort of reprogram me as they pleased. I eventually found out about it but by then it was too late to reverse the unfortunate side effects. I recovered a little bit when I met a certain individual, but let us say those moments were...fleeting. I'm relieved to know that all those like Ruby aren't as sickly as she was." Tobi let out a sigh and shook his head. "I'd rather not think about her if I can avoid it, it only reminds me of how silly I was despite my own age. Can we move on, we're wasting time and we've found some interesting dust samples. I'd say that qualifies our mission as complete." What was left of his heart did ache when he remembered her. She treated him as an equal despite the age difference, even recognized his intelligence when other grown ups chose to be ignorant.

"Wait! There's other people like me, with super speed?" Ruby raised a brow, she figured that semblances were a case by case basis.

Yang bonked her sister on the head. "No dumb dumb, he's talking about those eyes of yours. I think?" Yang was pretty sure it was this, considering that most adults commented on them with little hesitation.

"That can't be right, I've never met someone with silver eyes. I don't even think mom had silver eyes if I remember right." Ruby was fairly certain, but she was still pretty young so maybe her memory was foggy.

"I'd be surprised if you had met another silver eyes, since even in my time they were hunted for sport. Honestly you're pretty damn lucky to have gone this long mostly undetected. Then again, I guess living out in the sticks does have it's advantages." Tobi shrugged as he spoke, wanting to move the subject away from the current topic.

"Hunted?" Both Ruby and Yang spoke at the same time, equally in shock.

"Don't worry about it! If someone wanted to find you they'd have found you already. And you, chill with the dangerous exposition, you're freaking her out." Naya snapped sharply in a panic, seriously Tobi had a problem with honesty.

Tobi chuckled. "We're lucky Ozpin found you, or perhaps...unlucky, only time will tell. He's...changed a bit since I last met him, for the better or worse...again time will tell." He was surprised how cautious Ozpin had become lately. Then again he was fairly certain his past mistakes had a lot to do with that.

"You've really gotta hate boner for Ozpin huh, what did he even do to you?" Yang was mildly curious, especially since the pair seemed to behave like old friends would have.

"A few things actually, and none I'm in the mood to disclose at the moment. If you must know I suggest you pester him for answers, granted I doubt he'll ever give you a chance." Tobi replied bluntly before starting to head toward the exit of the mines.

The group remained fairly silent on the way out of the mines, they only brought up how deep they had gone when realizing how long it was taking them to get back to the surface. It had easily been at least a day in there, and that wasn't counting the time that they were trapped. The closer they got to the surface the more on edge Tobi felt. After such a rough encounter with a beast like that their escape was going too smoothly. Right around the final leg of the hike Tobi noticed dust falling from the ceiling.

"What are you stopping us for? It's just earth tremors..." Naya stated seriously as she tried to get Tobi to put his arm down.

"Do you really think it would let a potential meal get away that easy?" Tobi replied with hesitation as he kicked a pebble forward. "Besides, we'd be pretty dang delectable if we died so close to freedom." He wasn't even being sarcastic, there were intelligent Grimm out there, and this was one of them.

"I like the way you think boy." The voice came from underground, it belonged to the Grimm from earlier.

Tobi sighed as the Grimm emerged from the ground. "Sometimes I hate being right." He assumed his battle stance. "Ruby, keep his focus forward, Naya see if you can lock it in place somehow, Yang?" He almost started to laugh when he gave Yang a nod. Sometimes that really was all she did.

"I know I know, get angry and punch em. Geeze, I get famous for one strategy and people think that's all I can do." Yang replied with a groan of annoyance as she took her fighting stance.

The mismatched team operated a bit more smoothly this time, their attacks were much more coordinated. Yang would land a blow and nick a chip off of it's bone plating. Ruby would fire a bolt into that spot causing it to flinch. Naya focused on it's legs and began to freeze them slowly. As she began to freeze them the Grimm seemed to be shaken up a bit.

"Impossible, the little twat is too young!" The Grimm shouted in disgust as it tried to break free from the ice encasing it's legs.

Tobi grinned. "Naya, make your movements more subtle, Ruby, make it look like you're doing a thing." He whispered quietly, just barely loud enough for his teammates to hear what he was saying.

"Shows what you know, me and my team uh...make the impossible possible! Or something?" Ruby tried to play into that order. She wasn't entirely sure what Tobi was getting at or why the Grimm was panicking but the plan seemed to be working.

"You think weak ice like this will hold me, amateur? I have felled several hunters of your make." The Grimm was clearly struggling to break free, however it was gradually cracking the ice.

"Stowe it." Tobi stated coldly, Naya was about to say something. "Here's the options I see for you, since you clearly are intelligent. One, you let us live and you get to stay alive. Two, you still die but you tell us who's controlling the Grimm." He explained seriously as he adjusted his glasses. "I suggest you choose your next words carefully." He finished preparing eight small dust crystals with his semblance.

"Why the hell would anyone choose either option?" The Grimm replied with fury in it's voice as it struggled to get free.

"Ah it seems you aren't intelligent then, very well." Tobi flicked his wrist gently and concentrated beams of energy came pouring out of the dust crystals. The beams bore through the creatures eyes and eventually the back of it's head, killing it. The dust crystals cracked and fell to the ground shortly afterward as the Grimm faded into dust.

"Cool, never seen dust do that before. Is that your semblance dude? How's it feel?" Yang questioned with a big grin as she watched the dust disperse.

"Feel? How do you mean, feel?" Tobi crossed his arms as he spoke, genuinely perplexed about her inquiry.

Naya groaned. "Seriously? You know, use your words! Is it zappy, maybe burny, or even chunky!" She knew Tobi was always like this, but somehow it was incredibly annoying in the heat of the moment.

"Chunky? I assure you it does not feel 'chunky' when I use it." Tobi paused and hummed in thought for a moment. "In a word, I suppose it feels...simple. Sure, I can use it well enough. But I don't know...something feels...off. Like I've only found a small piece of a larger puzzle." He put a hand to his chin and smiled. "There are many kinds of dust, I wonder how my semblance interacts with those." That did get his gears turning quite a bit. Of dust's many forms, fire was the most common and potent. But that wouldn't stop the other elements of dust from being useful.

"Splendid simply splendid dear, not many would make such an astute observation upon activating their semblance the first time! I can see why miss Amber took a shine to you." The applause was coming from a single person who seemed to come out of nowhere.

"Oh great, the crazy tea lady is here." Naya wasn't at all enthusiastic about spending any time with her. She hadn't personally met her, but there were rumors, and not all of them were good.

Hazumi frowned. "Now see here young lady, there's no reason for name calling. Besides sweetie, you think *I'm* crazy you should meet my cousin. Don't you children look simply exhausted?Why don't we have a spot of tea...hmm?" She paused the instant she spotted Ruby, her entire being seemed to light up. "Oh my, oh my my my! Yes, good, strong...spunky, a dash of rebelliousness...oh yes, yes! Absolutely charming, perfect even!" Hazumi proceeded to sort of smother Ruby, doing various things like taking her height measurements, taking a small lock of hair and even her temperature. Eventually she knelt down and gave her a suffocating bear hug.

"Yang...help?" Ruby could barely breathe, she was used to Yang's hugs, but it was rare that an adult could compete with her.

"Hey! Lay off my sister, you're weirding her out." Yang crossed her arms. "Don't make me separate you two by force." She was of course joking, but she would if the lady kept the act up.

"Yang I'm well aware of how invincible you think you are. But I strongly advise against angering our guest. She has reasons for being so persnickety about Ruby, isn't that right ma'am?" Tobi was certain even Yang should fear this particular woman's ire. He had a feeling this was the woman that Ozpin was talking about earlier.

Hazumi took a step backward. "Goodness deary, you are a sharp one. Boo on you for being so clever, I guess there's no point in wearing these." Hazumi took off her sunglasses and placed them in her pocket. "Now do you see why I'm so excited darling?" She asked with a wry grin, she opened her eyes, revealing silver color she normally kept hidden.

"Eep! Yang! Look, look, silver eyes! Just like me!" Ruby lit up in excitement, she had thought that Summer was the only one like her.

"I...see that...dork, what's the big deal?" Yang raised a brow, this lady definitely had silver eyes, and she wasn't wearing lenses that change color either.

"The 'deal' is, it's a genetic trait. We don't know where it originated from, only that it's passed down through particular bloodlines. The actual history of the bloodline isn't all that interesting. More interesting is that most confirmed cases have been female. The odd thing is how far flung the bloodline actually is, and that it won't appear in just 'anyone' in the bloodline. In fact it's strikingly rare for it to be passed on through one generation." Tobi remembered reading his company's research notes on the matter. The particular details weren't important for now.

Hazumi took a step back. "Goodness deary you are a bookish devil aren't you?" She questioned crossing her arms. "Can I point out that not just 'anyone' should know these things dear? How on earth did you come to know this information? Come on, out with it." She finished seriously as she regained her composure.

"My father's company was...unique. It's main product was information and technology, as such he had a wide variety of employees. As the owner's son it was my duty to know everything potentially valuable about each and every face I dealt with. That included a rather sickly and meak friend of mine, who also bore silver eyes." Tobi explained with a bit of seriousness in his tone.

"Sickly? What, you mean she was anorexic or something?" Yang asked out of curiosity, it was kind of rare for Tobi to bring up anyone besides his father when talking about his past.

Tobi grimace a bit. "If only it were that simple." He stated, biting his lip for a second before continuing. "How can I put this, in layman's terms her semblance was...toxic. And on top of that she had a weak immune system. It allowed her to create a raw energy from nothing, much of that energy was used further advancing her father's technology. Imagine if every time you used your aura you caught the flu, or lost all physical stamina for several days. It was like that. One time the doctors thought she was in a coma, but she woke up two days later perfectly healthy." He sighed and blushed. "She was one of the few I actually felt...compassion for, in any logical capacity." That was about as much detail as he was willing to give at the moment.

"So in spite of that her dad used her as a living battery? Dude, that's fucked up. How did you resist wanting to snap the jerks neck?" Yang was surprised to hear of a situation like that. True her current family situation wasn't great, but she'd bust Taiyang's teeth in if he ever thought of taking advantage of Ruby in some way.

Tobi smirked. "Oh believe me, I did everything I could to make his life annoying. My father didn't like my methods, but he agreed the man needed to be taught a lesson. My...setbacks were mostly harmless anyway, nothing too bloodthirsty. Just random things like changing his shipping address and stuff along those lines." He found it funny that this was one of the few things his father agreed with him on.

"Oh my, you were a vicious little scamp then? Remind me not to get on your bad side dear!" Hazumi was mostly teasing, but judging from the strength of his aura she did think caution was advised. "Would you lot care for a spot of tea? I've been dying to try out my instant brewing teapot and there's nobody out here brave enough to try it." She stated pulling a few small cubes from her purse and setting up a table and chairs with them.

"Don't take this the wrong way but we don't have time for tea. We should really be getting back to Beacon." Naya wasn't interested in drinking tea crafted by a madwoman. Though if the rumors were true her tea had special qualities, some healing, others not so much.

"Nonsense! Everyone has time for delicious, nutritious tea!" Hazumi chimed playfully as she finished setting up the table and chairs. "Besides I already radioed Beacon for help when that cave in happened, my old flame was quite fraught with worry when he found out. He'll be here any second to pick you lot up and whisk you away to your dorms." She added with seriousness in her tone as she prepared a tea kettle from her backpack and some tea to brew as well.

The group simply gave eachother a slight shrug and decided to comply with Hazumi's suggestion. They discussed tea's historical significance and it's many healing properties while enjoying a brisky mint flavored tea. Naya was impressed with how quickly the tea stewed, Ruby kept asking for more lumps of sugar, and Yang tossed her tea over her shoulder when Hazumi wasn't looking. Tobi felt a strange charge of energy with every sip he took. It lead him to believe that this wasn't normal tea.

"Miss Hazumi, this tea is...invigorating. You say this tea is home grown, what on earth is your secret?" Tobi had to admit he was mildly curious, especially since they had tried at least three flavors at this point.

"Oh? Well a skilled artisan never reveals her secrets dear!" Hazumi paused and hummed in thought. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell you. I fertilize each tea flavor's soil with a different kind of ground dust powder. It has this astounding affect on your aura too. Why, drink enough of the stuff and your aura can deflect bullets even. Well...it's worked for me at least." She was certain it was because she had drank quite a lot of the tea over time.

"Fascinating, I had noticed a slight change in my aura after drinking a few sips. Perhaps this tea will make a useful component in my semblance usage." Tobi was interested in this mysterious tea of hers, it did feel quite interesting for a bit when he drank it.

The rest of the group seemed surprised at Tobi's interest in the tea. Considering it wasn't healthy to absorb dust directly into the body in any way. However before any of the three could protest they were interrupted by the sounds of a helicopter landing not sixty feet away from them. The children and Hazumi eagerly approached the helicopter while anticipating who had come to pick them up. And who other than Ozpin himself stepped out of the doors of the chopper to greet them.

"Ozzykins~" Hazumi rushed behind him and jumped on his back. "It's been ages darling, simply ages, and you stopped answering my letters!" She didn't even mind that Ozpin struggled to free himself from her hug. He always was a bit touchy about personal contact.

Ruby snickered. "Pfft...Ozzykins?" Ruby was trying her best not to laugh, Hazumi's enthusiasm was pretty hilarious.

Ozpin let out an exasperated sigh. "Hazumi, how many times must I beg you to act your age?" He questioned seriously while brushing off his shoulders. "I'm glad you all are well, when Hazumi radioed about the cave in I was very concerned for your safety." He finished as he quickly regained his usual composure.

"You mean you're relieved Ruby is safe." Tobi stated bluntly as he found himself inwardly amused at Ozpin's reaction to Hazumi. "You wouldn't have come here personally otherwise, am I right?" He was sure that had to be it, since he knew Ozpin's motives quite well.

"Oh boo Ozzykins, you used to love piggybacking me when we were younger. And speaking of the little red one. Could I borrow her, for a few months? Pretty Please?" Hazumi asked in a chipper tone as she gave him puppy dog eyes.

"Absolutely not, she's far too young." Ozpin answered sternly, before putting his hand to his chin. "Come children, we should leave this estranged woman to her hobbies." He finished seriously before boarding the helicopter.

The group decided it best not to argue with the headmaster. To be honest they were all hoping for a chance to relieve themselves of Hazumi anyway. She honestly wasn't all that bad, but her obsession with tea was suffocating. On the ride home Tobi had a lot to think about. But namely, he pondered about his semblance. If Hazumi's tea did prove beneficial to it's use, he would certainly acquire more. But more importantly he wanted to figure out if his semblance was really as simple as it seemed.


End file.
